got baby! Maternity and Baby Talk

There's a New Love of My Life...

2008-07-21T21:54:00.002-04:00

Welcome Canon 5D to my family of cameras...hello, gorgeous!

A New Adventure

2008-05-18T17:32:00.007-04:00

The capturecincinnati.com "contest" has me more motivated to explore Cincinnati. I've lived here something like....ten or eleven years, and there are so many parts of this town that I've never seen. Like Clifton. There's a cool fountain with a statue on the corners of Clifton and Ludlow, and I've never seen it.

So, I decided to get out my map and do some exploring today!

While my hubby was at the lake sailing, I packed up Mr. Nicholas and my camera and headed for parts unknown. Our trip started out in Eden Park, and I discovered the butterfly show is going on at Krohn's [so, guess where I'll be taking the kids NEXT weekend]....

Then, we cut across town on Taft, drove around the University of Cincinnati campus briefly and found ourselves on Clifton Avenue. And voila -- we found the cool fountain on the corner of Ludlow and Clifton. Sadly, I didn't stop and take a photo! Too hard with just Nick, but now I know where to find it.

We did explore a small part of Burnet Woods by driving down Brookline Drive until it's blocked. There's this Nature Center there, and the building reminded me of this place in the Iao Valley on Maui. Nick and I took a little stroll by the lake and then headed home.

Not much for our first adventure out! Next weekend, I plan to check out the butterfly show or go to Union Terminal. All sorts of adventures we can have while Andy is off sailing....

Capture Cincinnati

2008-05-17T17:23:00.000-04:00

The photography thing is going strong...so, I thought I'd enter a little contest....beyond the basic challenges I've been doing. The winners of this contest can get prizes and money -- and be published!

I'm doing pretty well in several "chapters" and even made the editor's top picks for this past week! Below are some of my images and links to vote:

Scott Kelby Rocks!

2008-05-16T21:09:00.001-04:00

I love Scott Kelby. Can you hear that, Scott? I LOVE YOU! [Even if you are a Nikon man] Why, you might wonder....? And who is this Scott Kelby cat anyway....? And should my husband be worried....?

From one of his books:

"Scott is a photographer, designer and award-winning author of more than 35 books..." [Personally, I have at least ten of his books]

His website is www.scottkelby.com [who would have thunk?]

Two of my absolute favorite books of his are The Digital Photography Book -- I and II. They have helped me SO much with my photography, so I am thankful that Scott wrote them and that someone happened to give me one as a gift. I loved it so much that I promptly bought the second one.

Today, I was looking back through the first book and was reminded of a cool way to sharpen photos....and I really wish I had employed this trick on SO many photos! Ouch! Perhaps I would have a higher acceptance rate at istockphoto.com.....

For all you full version Photoshop users, it's easy....just convert an image to Lab Color, apply unsharp mask to the "Lightness" channel and then convert back to RGB. Okay, so there's a LITTLE more to it....like, how much unsharp mask [%], etc.

One example:

For people, apply 150%, Radius 1 and Threshold 10. You can try applying it twice, but if it looks freakishly sharp, then fade the second application. If you like the results or need more help, then go buy Scott's book for more tips and tricks....you won't be sorry!

[And I am getting nothing for telling you to buy his book -- not even an Amazon affiliate payment. I just applied this technique and was happy enough to share it!]

The Honeymoon Ain't Over

2008-02-09T22:33:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a few months since I bought my Canon 40D.....and let me just say that the honeymoon ain't over. I love this camera more NOW than ever before. It has yet to really disappoint me. Don't get me wrong -- my roving eye has already been checking out the 40D's siblings, 5D and Mark. One day, one day.....

Today, I expanded my slowly growing glass collection. My 40D came with the 28-135mm, and I use that about 85% of the time. It's a great lens. For Christmas, Santa brought me a lovely 100mm Macro lens [and a sweet 580 EX II Speedlite....guess I was a really good girl last year!]. I bought a cheap 75-300mm Telephoto lens over the holidays, but I wasn't very happy with the results, so I took it back [you get what you pay for, I know, I know]. While purchasing a 50mm at Cord Camera, I asked about a replacement telephoto lens.

Based on the Cord dude's recommendations, I got the Sigma 70-300mm Telephoto to replace the cheapy Canon I returned. So, the Sigma isn't really a high end lens either. I mean, it's not a Canon L or anything....but the guy at Cord thought I'd get better results with it than the other lens, so I am giving it a go. I figure if I'm not happy with the results, then I can always return it.

This is the best shot I got of the moon with the first lens [the cheap-o Canon 75-300mm]. Okay, so it doesn't totally suck, but it just isn't as sharp and clear as I would like. I did everything I should, too....used a tripod, used the delay, shot in RAW, shot in manual, blah, blah.....we'll see how Sigma does next full moon....

Free Sushi Tasting Party

2008-02-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

Free Sushi Tasting Party....and my photo is invited! Recently, I was contacted by a design student who attends Princeton University. He had seen my work on Flickr and asked to use one of my sushi photos for a poster. I figured, why not? It's some exposure for me, a piece for my portfolio and some bragging rights....right?

This is obviously the finished poster. It's cool to see one of my photos being used in a design that isn't my own....makes me think I might actually be good at this photography thing.

Turkey Day

2007-11-22T08:35:00.000-05:00

That's about all I've got time to write....busy with the bird and making pie!

Leave Santa Alone!

2007-11-15T07:15:00.000-05:00

Yahoo.com is my home page. When I opened my browser this morning, I saw this article about Santa.....and I thought, "What the #%$&@&$^@?!?!?!??!?!????" Are you kidding me.....??? Santa can't say, "ho, ho, ho", because it might offend WOMEN....? What women? The HOs??? Too bad! Or a bunch of uptight, overly politically correct morons with broomsticks jammed up their bums??? Get over it!

And do the children think of prostitutes when Santa says that....?

Santa: Ho, ho, ho, Bobby!!
Bobby: Wow, Santa, I get THREE prostitues this Christmas????!

I am really sick and tired of all this "politically correct" crap and fear of offending someone.....and that is coming from a person who is rather PC and tries to consider feelings and not offend and blah, blah, blah.

But enough is ENOUGH.....this is going too far.....and really, don't we have bigger fish to fry in the world? I say.....

LEAVE SANTA ALONE!

=============================================

Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071115/wl_asia_afp/lifestyleaustraliachristmasoffbeat

SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.

One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.

"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.

"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.

"Leave Santa alone." [I agree!!!]

A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.

Where Have You Been All My Life?

2007-11-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

I love photography. I'm not professional by any means, and maybe some people don't even think I'm very good at it! I don't care -- I love it regardless.

At one time, I had a pretty good film camera. It was an Olympus hybrid SLR. But I couldn't photograph as much as I would have liked, because film and developing costs were involved. With digital -- not an issue.

When our nice Nikon camera died, I rushed out and bought a cheapy point and shoot from Staples. Another Olympus. It's actually been a good camera for us, and my mom ended up getting the same model [FE-210]. For about $130, I got some really good photos.

But it was time for a REAL camera....

After hours and hours of research, I had narrowed my camera search to two models: the Nikon D80, and the Canon 30D. Both are stellar DSLRs, and I kept going back and forth between the two models. Everybody had a different opinion, and the Canon vs. Nikon battled raged on!

Finally, I went to Best Buy to see both of these beasts in person. There's really only so much you can tell from looking at photos online. I needed to hold these cameras and decide if one just felt "right" in my hands.....

I felt like Harry Potter looking for the right wand....when I found it, I'd know. This turned out to be true.

Prior to this shopping trip, I think I was leaning towards the D80, so I picked it up first. After a few minutes to looking it over and pretending to shoot, I put it down and was handed the 30D.

And that's all it took. This camera felt like a REAL camera. It was a little heavier than the D80 and what I was expecting, but that was okay. It felt like a real camera, and it felt good in my hands.

At that point, I think I knew -- I was going to buy the Canon. But I went home to do a little more research and opinion gathering, as that is my nature. Research it to DEATH, but I rarely have any buyer's remorse, so I guess that's the pay-off.

The next day, I returned to Best Buy. Ironically, I had received a 10% coupon in the mail. Big plus, since I had decided to get the 40D and not the 30D....and there's about a $300 price difference. All I read told me that the 40D had some necessary improvements over the 40D.

Since unpacking my new baby, I have been in HEAVEN. Even some quickie "tests" have turned out phenominal!! I almost cried the first night I downloaded the photos from the camera. I love this camera and couldn't be happier! The photos in this posting obviously came from my new love....

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

2007-11-08T06:31:00.000-05:00

My New Baby

2007-11-06T07:10:00.000-05:00

I've Had ENOUGH!

2007-11-01T06:12:00.000-04:00

Nicholas celebrated his second Halloween yesterday. He was only two months old for his first one. We dressed him as a lobster and carried him around to our neighbors last year. Andy stayed at the house, and the girls, Nicholas and I went trick-or-treating.

This year, it was just Nicholas and me. The girls were with their mom, and Andy was on an airplane somewhere, trying to get home to us.

Nick was a lion this year and a darn cute one at that! He helped me pass out candy, and once again, we visited our neighbors. They kept offering candy, but Nick has yet to enjoy the bliss that chocolate can bring! Well, for some.....chocolate doesn't do anything for me. So, we passed....

Went all out with the decorations this year. We had webbing, multiple carved pumpkins, fake spiders, howling things in the trees....it was too fun! Only scared one kid, but my brave boy wasn't afraid! He liked to set off the chattering heads and stick his finger in their plastic mouths.

But, by 7:00 p.m., he had ENOUGH of the whole Halloween gig. So, I changed him into his soft, warm jammies and got his bedtime bottle ready. One more pair of boys rang the bell, and with that, Trick-or-Treating 2007 was over.

Nicholas and I snuggled on the couch while he drank his bottle and immediately passed out. My little lion was obviously quite tired....which was GOOD, because Mommy forgot to turn off the howling things in the trees.....they went off all night, and they were right below Nicholas's bedroom window! I didn't discover my boo-boo until I heard them going off in the background of his baby monitor....whoops! Let's hope my neighbors still speak to me.....

I hope everyone had a Happy and SAFE Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T06:27:00.000-04:00

Silly, FUNNY Halloween Card

2007-10-30T06:37:00.000-04:00

Ultimate Toy Drive

2007-10-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

Click Here for more information on helping.

Glitter Graphics

2007-10-27T07:17:00.000-04:00

More fun with whacky text....this time, it's from glitter-graphics.com. These sites are great for generating silly, animated text that can be used on Myspace, bulletin boards, social networking sites, your own site, etc. They are also easy to do, so the kids can have fun with them!

I'll have to make sure I show the girls their names. Both girls like hearts, so these are both good ones for them. But they may like one of the other ones better. Maybe Taylor can add to her E-mails to friends....

This Doesn't Make You Cheap....

2007-10-26T16:58:00.000-04:00

Need a nice dinner out? [I do, I do!!] Want to save some money, too? [Yes, ma'am!] Then check out restaurant.com. I use this site all the time -- even when I travel for work! I've gotten some great deals at really nice restaurants all over the country and saved some big $$$, too.

Right now, Restaurant.com is offering 70% off! This means their $25 restaurant gift certificates that normally sell for $10 have been reduced to just $3!! So, for $3, you get a gift certificate worth $25. Make sense? This is why I sometimes use these when I travel -- I get a nicer dinner, and keep my expenses low, so my manager doesn't get upset!

This offer is valid from October 24th to the 31st, so get yours today and plan a special night out with or withOUT the kids....CLICK HERE to get yours. And use the code TREATS. Otherwise, you won't get the 70% off.

About Restaurant.com:
Restaurant.com serves as the community matchmaker, introducing great restaurants to great people. From appetizers to dessert, from wine to dinner, Restaurant.com helps restaurant owners promote the new and unique aspects of their restaurants while providing diners with great value in a fun, new and cost effective way. Your favorite restaurant is in your neighborhood – maybe you just don't know it yet. Restaurant.com is here to help.

The Bug War

2007-10-24T08:29:00.000-04:00

I've lived with my older brother, Scott, twice. The first time didn't end on the best terms [he's 13 years older and a "he"....and we're a lot alike]. But we gave it another try. I even helped him pack up his apartment to move into the house we would share.

Well, my brother is a pack rat, and he had tons of JUNK.....including some plastic cockroaches. While he wasn't around, I slipped them into my purse for later.

That started what has become known as "The Bug War" in our family. After we moved into the new house, I hid the cockroaches in various places -- under a phone receiver, on a kitchen shelf, etc. Once my brother started to find them, the game was on.

Next, he took a creepy spider decoration I had bought for Halloween and attached it to fishing line. This he attached to the toilet seat, so when I got up at 2:00 a.m. to use the bathroom.....yeah, I screamed when that big, black spider came flying out from behind the toilet!
This went back and forth, each trying to best the other with plastic snakes coming out of tub drains and spiders on fruit and creepy bugs under things. All fake and plastic, of course. It quietly ended, and I eventually moved out.

Years later, it was my brother's wedding. It wasn't until THEN that I learned that I had WON The Bug War hands-down....something my brother would never admit to, but I found out a funny story from his good friend, Dave. He noticed a plastic spider sitting on an apple in a bowl of fruit and asked why it was there. Mom explained about The Bug War, and Dave was laughing so hard, he was crying. He then told us the following story.....

One of the "bugs" I had hidden during the war was a plastic leach. I had placed this leach on the rim of the toilet bowl in my brother's bathroom. My brother wouldn't see it until he lifted the seat to you know......

I guess Dave was at the house when Scott discovered the leach. Dave said he was in the kitchen waiting for Scott, and heard Scott SCREAMING! [I hate that I missed this....] He ran upstairs, and Scott had somehow found a two by four [in the bathroom????] and was ready to beat the plastic leach senseless......

This story is quite legendary in our family.....how I won The Bug War with a plastic leach bought for .50.

Do I LOOK Like a Shoplifter....?

2007-10-22T22:08:00.000-04:00

Sunday night, I was flying solo with Nicholas and decided we'd go do a little shopping. A new super Wal-Mart opened near us, and I figured we'd check it out. I don't typically shop at Wal-Mart. I'm more of a Target girl and spend scary amounts of money there, but the W-M is closer to the house, and I wanted to check out their Halloween decorations.

Mr. Nick and I had a good shopping experience. We found some light-up pumpkins and other fun holiday stuff. I let Nick pick out a stuffed animal. He had been SUCH a good boy on the ride home from Columbus and while I ran errands. He liked this little, soft dog that barked when you squeezed it, and it was only about $7.....so, I got it for him. Grabbed some dinner items and other "stuff" and checked out. Paid, loaded our bags and headed for the door.

So, they have these greeters, right? I just thought they were there to say, "hello, welcome to Wal-Mart" as you walked in. Well.....when did Wal-Mart become Costco and want to check your receipt before you could leave????

The greeter [who was this small, older man and never cracked a smile] stopped me and asked to see my receipt as I was walking by.

Uhhhhh.....what????

I gave him this odd look and pulled it out of a bag. He stood there looking over it, and I noticed one or two people pass by with their carts and bags. Why wasn't he stopping THEM? So, I ASKED.

"Sooo....do you stop everyone?"

"No." Pause. Then he mentioned something about an "item" being outside the bags, and THAT is why he stopped me.

Well, that item was the $7 stuffed dog. I had pulled it from the bag as we headed for the door and given it to Nick. And for THAT, I get stopped and treated like I'm shoplifting....?

Come on, Wal-Mart. First off, I haven't stolen anything from a store since I was about five....not that you can tell that from looking at me......BUT I am relatively clean cut, and I'm in my late 30s and a mother with a toddler. I don't look like I need to steal, because I can't afford to buy something, and I'm certainly not a teen looking for a rush or thrill. Plus, if I were going to steal something, then do you really think I would run the risk of legal action over a stupid $7 stuffed animal??? The light-up pumpkin cost more! Heck, the raw chicken I bought cost more!

On top of that, the "greeter" wasn't all that friendly or nice about stopping me, because he felt the need to confirm the purchase of that stupid stuffed dog. And he had to MARK my receipt with his little highlighter. Are you KIDDING me????

As we left the store, I said to Nicholas, "We won't be shopping THERE again, baby!" And we won't. I doubt anyone at Target would have stopped me.....

Homecoming

2007-10-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was Ohio State homecoming. We made a quick trip up North to visit the 'rents, see some other relatives and watch the game. Fortunately, the Buckeyes beat Michigan State and remain number 1. Woo hoo! I'm hoping this winning streak continues....I remember many years of being disappointed in the team....those would be the Cooper years. I'm a much bigger fan of Tressel.

So, this morning, we all met for breakfast at Bob Evans [minus the hubby who was on a plane headed for California]. Nicholas got to meet his Great Great Aunt Dorothy. She was sisters with my grandmother, Effie. And Dot and Nick share a birthday.

Well, off to bed! My brain is blah, and I'll have a busy week flying solo with Mr. Nick.

Happy Happy...

2007-10-14T19:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to me AND Happy Anniversary to us.....a doubly good day.

Her Eyes Just Sparkle!

2007-10-09T13:31:00.001-04:00

Lately, I've fallen in love with Adobe Photoshop all over again. I've been using that program for about twenty years, but I am learning ALL sorts of new, cool, crazy and exciting things....and I'm having a blast!

This week, I've been going crazy with brushes. Last week, it was Styles, but this week it is definitely brushes. Who knew so many existed??? Who knew they came in so many funny, funky, cool and unusual shapes??? Well, now I know, that's for sure!

Over the weekend, I downloaded some brushes from deviantart.com. I kept hearing this site mentioned in some of my Photoshop groups, so I finally checked it out. What FUN I've been having with the brushes I found there!

Last night, I played around with an eyelash brush.....and sparkles. Look at the results! I know I went a little overboard, but it's hard to believe that the "After" was achieved in about five minutes. And with brushes....[okay, okay, and a little dodging, too].

Operation Buckeye, Part II

2007-10-07T13:23:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I've been working on a new logo and Web site for Operation Buckeye for my dad....here's a sneak peek at the logo.

What's the Most Common Birthday?

2007-10-05T06:55:00.000-04:00

I was curious about this answer myself, so I did some research. Lo and behold.....[drum roll, please].....it's TODAY.

From an article I found online:

We found several references to this question on the Web, all pointing to the same source: a survey of 12,576 Americans conducted by Anybirthday.com.

Answers like this one from the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star cite the study's finding of October 5 as the date the most people (in the U.S., anyway) are born. The 2001 report claims approximately 968,000 living Americans entered the world on that date. (The original web page announcing these results is no longer online, but we oh-so-cleverly queried the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and found it.)

So why October 5? Just a random date? Perhaps, but Anybirthday has a theory: To be born on this date, a baby would most likely have been conceived on New Year's Eve.

The survey also found May 22 to be the least common birthday. As yet, no guesses as to what it is that happens in late August (nine months prior to that date) that routinely turns so many people off. Perhaps it's just too darn hot?

Tossing His Tacos

2007-10-04T13:13:00.000-04:00

My poor baby is sick. I heard him fussing about on his monitor in the middle of the night, and I went upstairs to check on him. Ack! He'd thrown up all down the front of himself. Unfortunately, hubby was out of town, so I was flying solo with puke duty.

So, at about 1:00 a.m., I gave Nicholas a bath and changed him into new jammies. He fell back asleep on the floor of his room, so I was able to change his sheets and mattress pad and clean everything up. I carefully placed him back in his crib and headed back to bed.

Thankfully, I am a light sleeper. At about 3:00 a.m., I heard him fussing around again. He was making the telltale "I'm about to throw up" sound, so I ran upstairs and grabbed him out of his crib.....not fast enough, though! This time, some ended up on the wall behind the crib.

Once again, he had a bath and got new jammies. Instead of putting on new sheets on his crib mattress, I covered his mattress in huge beach towels -- about five of them! If he threw up, then it would make it easier to clean up. I could just remove that "layer" or towel and not have to completely redo it all.

That was it for the puke fest, however. The next day, I worked from home and kept Nicholas with me. He seemed pretty good, a little fussy. His appetite was decreased [to be expected!], but he kept it all down......

The Devil Wears Pampers

2007-09-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

Personally, I think my son is a little angel....he is a VERY good baby [now toddler]. I really can't complain, because he is so sweet, loving and easy going. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a devilish side.....

Russian woman's 12th baby weighs in at 17.1 POUNDS?!?!??!?!?!!

2007-09-27T06:37:00.000-04:00

My first [and only] biological child weighed a hefty 9 lbs. 6 oz. at birth. I did not have a C-Section, and I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed that I pushed that huge, ole noggin of his out! But my child is a mere shrimpy compared to THIS one......

======================================

BARNAUL, Russia (Reuters) - A Siberian woman who gave birth to her 12th child -- doing more than her fair share to stem Russia's population decline -- was stunned to find that little Nadia weighed in at a massive 7.75 kg (17.1 lb).

Nadia was delivered by caesarean section in the local maternity hospital in the Altai region on September 17, joining eight sisters and three brothers, a local reporter said.

"We were all simply in shock," said Nadia's mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43. "What did the father say? He couldn't say a thing -- he just stood there blinking."

"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," she told the reporter, adding that all her previous babies had weighed more than 5 kg.

The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later.

The average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb), according to World Health Organisation figures.
======================================

Did you also happen to notice it was her TWELFTH baby.....?

Thanks, Honey....

2007-09-26T22:43:00.000-04:00

In a few weeks, we will have two special events to celebrate. Our wedding anniversary is the same day as my wife's birthday.

Let me say that again -- our wedding anniversary is the SAME DAY as my wife's birthday. In other words, as a guy, I only have ONE really important day to remember each year instead of two.

This is a GREAT thing, but it could also be a really bad thing....like, what if I forgot it? I don't think I ever would, but if I did....well, I would be forgetting TWO important things, so I'm guessing the wrath that would follow would be twice as bad.....

But since I never plan to forget this date, I'm back to this being a GREAT thing....and it isn't so bad for the wifey either. Frankly, she ends up getting a better gift, because she usually wants one big thing. We just lump the gift giving all together for her.

Last year, it was this fancy iJoy massage chair. This year....well, she'll just have to wait and find out!

Dad Labs, Inc.

2007-09-24T20:40:00.000-04:00

Recently, I was contacted by the COO of Dad Labs, Inc., Brad Powell. He said, "Hey got baby!, come check us out!" So, we did....

About Dad Labs:

America has seen a fundamental societal shift in the role of men in parenting. While many in the media and academia have observed this trend, no brand or company has emerged to meet the needs of these "New" fathers. Enter Dad Labs, Inc., a start-up company dedicated to providing creative media content and information products to serve this new generation of "Super Dads."
Dad Labs will be the fatherhood brand.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Dad Labs is an information and entertainment company that fosters the father/child relationship through media, instructional and retail products. The mission of the company is to strengthen families and benefit children by empowering today's fathers. The company provides resources to expecting, new and veteran fathers that will launch them into a more active and creative role in the lives of their children. Dad Labs speaks to the corporate executive and the delivery driver with a voice that is authentic and genuinely male, with wisdom and self-depracating humor of experience. The products and services offered are honest, informative, sometimes off-color, but always dedicated to the spirit of fatherhood. Dad Labs speaks guy and presents information through guy-colored lenses.

Founded in 2004 by Troy Lanier, Clay Nichols and Brad Powell, Dad Labs aims to be the voice of the new fatherhood. The company was founded on the core value that parents must be the primary movers in the lives of their children and fathers must play a leading role in this journey. The team at Dad Labs is committed to assisting the busy father by providing him with accessible and digestible information and parenting ideas. Dad Labs will not only inform the father with its entertainment products, but will also foster creative father/child activities through retail products.

The trio bring more than 30 years of teaching and hands on fatherhood experience, as well as professional film making and writing experience. Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols are accomplished authors and were named to the Austin Chronicle Best of 2005 for their book "Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling off Your Shorts." The company's first DVD, DueDads: The Man's Survival Guide to Pregnancy scheduled for release in the summer of 2006 recently won a 27th annual Bronze Telly Award.

All three founders have been long time teachers at Austin's St. Stephen's School and combined have seven small children.

Some Dad Labs Links:

Dad Labs Blog
Creative Team

When do You Find the Time.....?

2007-09-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

More than once, I've been asked, "When do you find the time to write in your blog?" Or create new designs? Or clean the house? Or do all that cool Photoshop stuff? Or get a hair cut or pedicure? Or....breath....???

There isn't an easy, simple answer, but I would have to say: prioritize and multi-task are a big part of it. Oh, and make lists! I'm a big list maker. It really motivates me to cross things off, so it's more likely to get done if it's on a list!

Here might be my list for today [in no particular order]:

1. Finish report to manager and E-mail
2. Write in blog, moderate any comments
3. Make breakfast [Sunday is our big breakfast day]
4. Clean up after breakfast
5. Check E-mail
6. If there's time, do some research on story behind "We Are Marshall" [which we watched last night]
7. Laundry -- clean new sheets we just bought, fold clothes
8. Create some new designs -- it's been awhile
9. Complete FSA paperwork for refund
10. Return items to Target and K-mart [this probably won't get done until this week]

I'm sure there's more, but that gives you an idea. Thus far, I've done 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 [other than the folding part]...and I'm working on 2 now. And I've done all this online stuff in the last hour, because my baby is snoozing away.....Zzzzzzzzzzzzz................because when he's awake, he is my focus. And when the girls are here, they are usually the focus. No matter what else might be a priority, the kids are THE priority.

And that's key for me -- get stuff done when Nick is napping! Or during my lunch break. Or after Nick goes to bed. Whenever I can find a free moment, I squeeze something in. And since I've prioritized my list, I always know what my top "must do" items are. I do those first and then work down to the medium priority and so on. And accept that some things might not get done as soon as I had hoped [if at all!].

Oh well, the kids are the priority, so other things can just wait....speaking of which, my baby is awake, so it's time to go!

Stop Hogging the Blog!

2007-09-22T16:59:00.000-04:00

In the summary of this blog, you might have noticed this sentence: New mom, Designer and Research Freak and her husband share their adventures in parenthood! You see the "and her husband" part....? Well, that's me. I'm the husband. But the wife has been making most of the posts, so I told her it was my turn. After all, it's our blog.

So, summer is coming to an end [even though it doesn't feel like it today], and I was thinking back on all of the fun our family has had in the past few months.....trips to Cedar Point and Seattle, Nick's first birthday, hot days at the pool, weekends of sailing.....it's been a good summer.

This photo is from Cedar Point. My girls, Taylor and Sarah, are in front, and Nicholas and I are in back. My wife took the photo. Taylor was so excited to "drive" the old car!

In the photo above, the girls are having fun on Lake Sammamish. My best friend, Rodney, recently bought a boat. We took it out on a beautiful afternoon, and everyone had a great time playing out on the water. Sarah was too afraid to go on the tube alone, so her loving big sis went along for the ride.

We're looking forward to the good times we know will come with the holidays.....

The Exceedingly Complex Role of the Stepmom

2007-09-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

The Exceedingly Complex Role of the Stepmom
by Teresa Paprock

"Do you, the bride, take this man, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health. . . and do you take his kids?"

You may never hear a minister utter these words at a wedding, but in theory, they're becoming more and more appropriate. The "blended family" - a term that is both celebrated and abhorred, depending on whom you ask, is becoming a fact of modern life.

Statistics show that while one out of every two marriages today will end in divorce, three-fourths of divorced people will eventually remarry (suggesting that the institution of marriage is alive and well, even if people sometimes pick the wrong partner). Unfortunately the rate of divorce for second marriages is even higher. And step relationships can be a huge factor.

Ask any family therapist, and they'll agree: the stepmother generally has the most challenging role in these new families. There are plenty of reasons for this, starting with history. One research group found some 900 stories referring to the concept of an "evil stepmother", the most well known of these "Snow White"? and "Cinderella"? Certainly there are stepmothers that do terrible things (as there are biological mothers that do). And the myth is becoming less acceptable as more and more women take on the stepmother role. But it's still true that stepmothers have an uphill battle on almost every front.

The role of a stepmother is exceedingly complex. A stepmom can get whiplash trying to negotiate her way around competing interests and attempting to find a path through veritable mazes of paradox. Stepmoms often have all of the responsibilities of parenting (think cooking, cleaning, laundry) but none of the legal rights. Stepmoms may constantly be trying to find the middle ground between being a child's pal and being a disciplinarian. Those who feel no love for their stepchildren are seen as cold; those who do can be accused of "trying to take the place of the biological mother". In short, being a stepmom means pleasing some of the people only some of the time.

A stepparent's role in a family is unique in that it is born of loss. A child has lost a natural parent due to death or divorce; the natural parent may be in the child's life all the time, or may be gone, but a child's dreams of having "the perfect family" have been shattered, and a stepmom is the living proof of that fact.

A stepmom's relationship with the biological mother can range from friendly to neutral to downright hostile.

"I consider myself very lucky," says Claire, whose household contains her two children and her husband's two children, all under the age of nine. "At first, my stepchildren's biological mother was really angry. But over time she realized that I take good care of the kids, and now we are best friends."

Not everyone is so fortunate.

"When I first got married I had this fantasy that the biological mother and I would be friends and would co-parent this child together," says Kyra. "Now, several therapists later, our two households can communicate only via lawyer, and even now there are blowups. I wish that she could at least appreciate that her son and I have a loving relationship, but I sometimes think she'd rather that I be a terrible person to give her an excuse for hating me."

Lynnette, the custodial stepmom of three elementary school children, had a similar experience when her stepchildren's biological mother lost custody of them.

"I didn't know how to function being the object of such intense and systematic hatred," she says, but adds, "the children were a little unruly, but they are wonderful, sweet, and absolutely dear."

Relationships between stepparents and stepchildren can vary greatly. There truly are some children that "only a mother could love", and there are stepmothers that behave badly and give their stepchildren good reason to dislike them. Sometimes a stepmom tries her best, but is faced with a "team" made up of her husband and stepchildren, against which she's always losing.

Other stepmoms and stepkids just "click".

"I love my stepdaughter as if she is my own," says Rebekkah. "She's sweet, smart, funny, pretty, and talented. We actually enjoy being together, and she's never given me that "You're not my real mom" crap. But I give so much of the credit to her, for being the kind of person she is, frankly, she's an easy kid to love."

A big reason why the rate of divorce among second marriages is extraordinarily high is that the husband and wife often argue over the children. Jane is a clinical social worker and a stepmom as well. She knows from personal experience how important it is to keep the marital relationship strong. "My husband and I have always known that we were together because we loved each other, not because we wanted a pseudo-family," she says.

Jane emphasizes the need for the children's father to promote the stepmom as a parent figure within the household, deserving of respect. "When I would have a little struggle," says Jane, who has two stepchildren, was supported by my husband. "Still, it took time to acclimate."

"Many husbands," she says, "want their wives to be pals with the children" - an unrealistic wish. And many "experts" on stepparenting say that stepmoms should never discipline their stepkids. But discipline is not punishment; it's a form of teaching and can be done in a positive way.

"Discipline comes from the word "disciple", Jane says. "It's about directing them in the way they should go. Children need the adults in their lives to be parents, not friends."

Link to article: http://secondwivescafe.com/article.php?id=40

Teresa Paprock is a freelance writer, co-author of two books, and the editor of a parenting magazine in the Midwest, as well as the stepmom of a 13-year-old boy.

Operation Buckeye: Please Help!

2007-09-19T13:57:00.000-04:00

The Christmas I found out I was pregnant with Nicholas was when my dad sent out his first care packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It wasn't called anything then -- it was just my dad collecting items or money to buy items to send in the first round of boxes. He got the idea after reading a newspaper article about our troops.

Most, if not all, the money came from my dad and mom, our family [including me and the hubby] and dad's friends. My hubby and I went to Meijer with him to buy the items for those first boxes and planned to help him pack them all up. [While the hubby helped Dad fill the cart, I snuck off to buy my pregnancy test!]

Since then, this labor of love has a name, more volunteers, more attention and more funds. It's not just my dad, Jim, anymore. It's now called Operation Buckeye. Last year, 1064 boxes were sent to the men and women of our armed forces. To date, over 1400 boxes have been sent.

Trying to bring a touch of home and brighten the day of a soldier, the boxes contain items that are both treats and necessities: Beef Jerky and hard candy are two of the favorites, along with drink mixes (to give water a better taste). Gum, chips, cheese crackers, canned fruit, granola bars, tuna snacks, tooth brushes and paste, books, batteries, deodorant, foot powder, peanuts, puzzle books, and wipes are only a partial list of items sent.

Want to Help Operation Buckeye?
There are several ways to help. The most obvious is through donations:

Operation Buckeye
PO Box 1814
Westerville, OH 43086-1814

Or dropped off at any Huntington Bank branch [if you live in Columbus, OH].
Please make all checks out to "Operation Buckeye"

They also look for volunteers. Volunteers gather at Operation Buckeye HQ every second and fourth Saturday. Boxes are usually packed from 1pm to 4pm.

Operation Buckeye HQ is located at :
4290 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43214

Contact Operation Buckeye:
Jim Caronis [my wonderful dad!!] - Chairman: Jim@operationbuckeye.org
Dave Eyestone - Treasurer: Dave@operationbuckeye.org

More About Operation Buckeye
OPERATION BUCKEYE was formed with the sole purpose of sending boxes to our troops as a way to thank them for their efforts and to bring a touch of home to them. The physical conditions they endure are difficult and being away from family for long periods of time is also difficult.

OPERATION BUCKEYE boxes contain food and snacks, personal hygiene items, reading materials, and good wishes of love and support.

All monies raised through letter writing campaigns, media exposure, and donations from individuals and companies are used to purchase items , supplies, and postage. OPERATION BUCKEYE provides caring civilians the opportunity to show their appreciation and respect to the men and women of our military stationed in hostile and remote regions of the world.

Related Articles or Stories:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2006/10/19/20061019-C1-00.html
http://ohio15th.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html
http://www.dispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2007/03/01/20070301-B1-01.html http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/27/MIKE27.ART_ART_05-27-07_B2_0K6RAR0.html

P.S. My dad has NO idea I posted this in my blog! He's not about self-promotion, but I wanted to try and help out, so I've been putting the word out about Operation Buckeye. And I'm SO proud of my dad for doing all of this and just wanted to brag a little about him......

Fun With Photoshop & Filters

2007-09-18T15:58:00.000-04:00

I'm a Photoshop JUNKIE, that's for sure. I love that program. You can take away most of my software, and I wouldn't complain. Try to take away Photoshop [notice I say TRY], and get ready for a big ole bruhaha.

In addition to being a PS addict, I am also into filters. You can use filters to get some COOL and amazing effects. Or combine multiple filters on layers. The possibilities are endless, and the results can be spectacular.

Lately, I've been having a BLAST with Filter Forge. I have been getting exciting results! Some of the images look like they were drawn or painted. So, I thought I would share a little slide show of my latest work [not everything was done with Filter Forge....some is just good, old fashioned Photoshop editing!]....

The Verdict is in...

2007-09-17T19:28:00.000-04:00

Last week, I started my jury duty gig. It's been an interesting experience. Today, we heard closing remarks and then deliberated for several hours.

The verdict is in.....guilty on all charges. Even though I believe he's guilty, and we came to our decision pretty quickly......well, I am still sad. He was once somebody's baby.....

Tastefully Simple Party

2007-09-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

Last night, Taylor and I attended a Tastefully Simple party at my friend's house. I haven't seen my friend in awhile, so I was looking forward to catching up. I think Taylor was excited about trying all the food!

Taylor wasn't the only child there, but she was the oldest. The Tastefully Simple consultant brought her three daughters. The youngest was a few months older than Nick, and Taylor was so excited a toddler was there. She loves babies, and I think having the experience of a baby brother has helped her prepare a little for being a mother herself one day [a looooooong time from now, of course].

We had a great time at the party! Taylor especially loved the beer bread they had, but she tried everything. I was very proud of her for keeping such an open mind! Her younger sister isn't so open when it comes to food and will insist she doesn't like something even though she's eaten it multiple times before. If you let her, she'll ask for Mac and Cheese every meal! Definitely a carb girl.....

Some of the samples were pretty garlicky....oh boy! We had some major garlic breath. But Tastefully Simple has some pretty good stuff, and it's SO easy to make. We're looking forward to our order arriving! I know Taylor will want to make the pumpkin bread first.

If you are interested in learning more about Tastefully Simple, please contact:

Robyn Stuhan
Tastefully Simple Team Manager
616-247-0840
rstuhan@gmail.com
www.tastefullysimple.com/web/rstuhan

National Stepfamily Day!

2007-09-16T12:19:00.000-04:00

September 16 is National Stepfamily Day! It was started in 1997 by Christy Borgeld.

Link to their Web site: http://www.nationalstepfamilyday.com/Home_Page.html

Blood Clots Look Like Grape Jelly

2007-09-14T09:52:00.000-04:00

My six-year-old stepdaughter had her tonsils taken out the Tuesday after Labor Day. That Thursday, she was taken to the E.R., because she was dehydrated. I guess it hurt to drink or eat anything, so she wasn't. My husband met his ex-wife at the hospital, but I stayed home with the baby. Yesterday was the first time I've seen Sarah since her operation.

Everything was good. Sarah seemed fine. Showed us the boo-boo she got from riding her scooter at her mom's. Ate some dinner of spaghetti. Had a little ice cream later. Part of a cookie her mom had sent over. No big deal. Off to bed.

This morning, my husband went up to wake the 10-year-old, Taylor. I could hear them chatting on the baby monitor, so I went upstairs to ask them to keep it down, so they didn't wake the baby. Then, we hear this loud cough, and I asked, "Was that Sarah....?"

Now, Sarah seems to have a cough all of the time. So, hearing her cough wouldn't be something new. My husband went in to check on her nonetheless. I stayed in Taylor's room with her as we discussed me dropping her off at school.

Andy and Sarah walk by, and I hear him asking her if she can take a bath. I said, "Oh, I thought maybe she threw up, but she's fine?" He scrunched up his nose and shook his head. I took that to mean she HAD thrown up or was NOT fine, so I went into her room to check it out.....

BAD IDEA.

OMG.....she had thrown up big blood clots all over her bed. It was on the sheets, comforter, pillows. There were little drops of blood on the carpet, too. In a word......GROSS. I just don't do so well with the ooey, icky stuff.

Poor Sarah was now in the bathroom hanging over the tub, still sick. My husband was yelling at us that we would need to go to the hospital. Sure, sure, good idea, I agree.....but I reminded him of the two other kids.....what about them? Seemed like everybody was yelling about what to do!

Well, once we all calmed down a little, we quickly formed a plan. Hubby called 9-1-1, the 10-year-old got the baby changed and dressed, and I ran downstairs to get dressed [since I had just gotten out of the shower and was in a t-shirt with wet hair].

Hubby took care of Sarah [who had thankfully stopped throwing up], and I ran around getting his wallet, phone, shoes, etc. I also got Sarah a stuffed animal to take with her and then checked on the other two kids. Taylor and the baby were in the baby's room playing with the door closed, because Taylor didn't want to see the blood and was afraid of the baby going into Sarah's room and getting into anything.

Then, I ran outside and waved down the ambulance. I showed one of them the blood clots in her room and bathroom while the other two stayed with Sarah.

It was decided that I would stay home and get the other two kids off to school and day care. Sarah went in the ambulance, and Andy followed.

Phew! What a morning. Talked to hubby several times, and Sarah sounds really good - so much better. Last I heard, the doctor was coming to see her, so I don't know what's up.

After they left, I attempted to clean up. I didn't want the blood to "set" and ruin the carpet, mattress, comforter, etc. More importantly, I didn't want Sarah to come home to this mess in her room or bathroom.

I could have NEVER been a doctor. I kept gagging and nearly screamed when a blood clot flew out of the comforter and landed on my hand. The worst was trying to get the biggest clots off the sheets before putting them into the washer. It seriously looked like grape jelly......I had to keep telling myself that, so I could clean it all up. I'm okay with just blood -- it was the CLOTS that were killing me.

Well, I got through the worst of it. I cleaned out the tub and used our mini steam cleaner to do the carpet and mattress. I actually got almost all of it out of the mattress. We'll see how much comes out of the comforter, sheets and pillows.....no biggie. It was Hello, Kitty!, and I'm sure Sarah will be wanting something more "mature" soon enough.

Heehee....

2007-09-12T20:16:00.000-04:00

- Get Your Own

Remember

2007-09-11T07:44:00.000-04:00

Rock You is FUN

2007-09-10T20:45:00.000-04:00

- Get Your Own

Recalled toys: What you need to know

2007-09-08T07:43:00.000-04:00

Q: Are all toys from China a danger?
A: While many of the recalled toys were manufactured in China, plenty of Chinese-made toys have not been recalled. Several Fisher-Price and Mattel products, among others, have been involved in recent recalls.

Q: Is there a list of recalled toys?
A: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site includes a list of toy recalls back to 1974. You also can call 1-800-638-2772. You can sign up to receive e-mailed recall lists from the CPSC at cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx

Q: Are officials saying I shouldn't buy any toys from China?
A: No. They say they are working on strengthening safety protocols for imports. Specific toys known to pose a risk have been identified through recalls.

Q: Are there any prominent toy manufacturers whose toys are made in the United States?
A: About 80 percent of toys in the U.S. market come from China, so it can be difficult to find American-made toys. Many of the companies are niche operations, such as Maple Landmark Woodcraft in Vermont or Holgate Toys in Pennsylvania. Larger brands that say part or all of their toys are made in the U.S. include K'NEX, Little Tikes and Colorforms. When in doubt, you can always check the box to see where a toy was made.

Q: If I buy American-made toys, am I safe?
A: Going all-American may not be a solution. Quality-control issues can happen in any country -- and according to Carol Rehtmeyer, president of the Toy & Game Industry Foundation, some smaller U.S. companies may test their products less stringently than big-box companies that do business overseas. "Companies who are in the U.S., willing to produce in the U.S., tend to be, on average, smaller entrepreneurial companies," Rehtmeyer said. "Smaller companies are going to have less financial ability to run products through product-safety testing."

Q: My 3-year-old daughter is desperate for a Geo Trax Locomotive, which has been recalled. Are companies going to make more of the affected products, without the lead, before Christmas?
A: Mattel, which owns Fisher-Price, said in a statement Thursday that it does not plan to produce new versions of the toys at this time. It is producing new versions of some of the affected pieces of the toys for use in a replacement program.

Q: Why is lead paint dangerous?
A: Lead is the most common environmental poison to harm children. It can cause abdominal pain, constipation and vomiting, anemia, stunted growth and brain damage, among other things. Many children show no symptoms during exposure.

Q: How big of a risk are these toys?
A: If you just bought the toy and your child hasn't handled it, there's no risk, according to Dr. Marcel Casavant, director of the Central Ohio Lead Clinic and a physician at Children's Hospital in Columbus. Risk increases if children have handled the toy, especially with wet hands, or put it in their mouth, especially repeatedly. There's no magic number on how much exposure will put a child at serious risk, he said.

Q: Do I need to worry about toys from China for older children?
A: Up to age 6, the brain is very susceptible to even small amounts of lead. But even if an older child is playing with the toy, there is still a concern that younger playmates could get ahold of it, or that the toy could be handed down after the recall has been forgotten. "We really do like to plain old get rid of these lead sources," Casavant said.

Q: Are toys the most dangerous source of lead poisoning?
A: Poisoning from toys isn't a big problem in Casavant's clinic. Far more common, he said, is exposure to lead paint from older homes. Other sources of lead exposure include soil, plumbing and adults who bring home lead dust from their jobs, such as plumbers or electricians. There are scores of other sources -- for an exposure checklist, go to OrlandoSentinel.com/leaddanger

Q: What can I do if I'm concerned about lead exposure?
A: See your doctor, or contact the poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

Sara K. Clarke can be reached at skclarke@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664. From link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-asectoysside07090707sep07,0,2343050.story

Girl Left Inside Car For Eight Hours Or More

2007-09-05T10:17:00.000-04:00

UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A 2-year-old girl found dead inside a car Thursday afternoon [August 23, 2007] in Union Township died due to heat exposure, an official said Friday.

Authorities said the car was parked with its windows rolled up outside Glen Este Middle School, where teachers started reporting Wednesday to prepare for next week's start of classes.The Clermont County coroner's office said the girl had been inside the car for at least seven hours while her mother, assistant principal Brenda Nesselroad-Slaby, attended a faculty meeting.

There are many heated debates about this topic going on all over the country. I participated in one on Cafemom.com.

I'm not sure what should happen to this woman....what her true punishment should be. Nothing will bring her daughter, Cecilia, back, and no one is suffering greater than this child's family. I can not even imagine the pain of losing my child and hope I never experience it -- especially if I were the cause of it. But is losing her child punishment enough for this woman....?

The big question is -- was this truly an accident? What really happened?

I won't go into how I could never leave MY son in the car, etc. Or rehash all the excuses -- she was distracted, running late, didn't usually drop off her daughter, had tinted windows and so on. I would like to point out one thing that I feel is being overlooked by many, though.

I live very close to where this happened in Ohio, so it's been all over our news, and I've read several stories about it.

Here's a link to one such news article:
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/NEWS01/708240427

And another:
http://www.wlwt.com/news/14023482/detail.html

While reading these news stories, something caught my attention......doughnuts. This kind, thoughtful woman REMEMBERED to pick up eight dozen doughnuts and drop them off at school for her staff....security cameras even showed that she returned to her Mercedes SUV multiple times to retrieve items from the back seat. Police also said the doughnuts were even on the seat next to Cecilia Slaby's car seat.

So, this educated, devoted mother remembered to pick up doughnuts for her teachers but forgot to take her daughter to a baby-sitter.....and then didn't notice the child [who was supposedly sleeping] in her car seat even though she made several trips to her car.....?

I'd also like to ask.....

.......How many people would feel the same if this 2-year-old had been left to die an agonizing death in a beat-up old car from a poor minority mother living in a really bad part of town instead of an educated one with a good job and a fancy Mercedes?

.......Would the media have been so interested in this story if this same thing happened to a child in a Honda? I mean, how many times do they need to mention the make of her SUV and the illegally tinted windows.....?

.......What if she had been in a bar drinking and "just forgot" about her child -- what then?

........Or what if you eliminate the doughnuts from the story....?

Would a change in circumstances or details change YOUR opinion on the fate of this woman.....? Would you be MORE sympathetic and understanding or LESS....?

Pasta With Smoked Salmon & Capers

2007-09-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted any recipes before, but this one was SO good, I just had to put it on here! It all started, because my husband loves this smoked salmon pasta dish at his favorite restaurant, The Boat Shed, near his mom's home in WA. He used to live across an inlet from the restaurant and would eat there all the time. Now, he only gets to dine there 1-2 times a year.

Well, I searched online for a good recipe and stumbled upon one that sounded pretty good. It's as follows:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped [can also use a shallot]
1/4 pound smoked salmon, chopped [if you like salmon, add more. We did 8 oz.]
1 cup heavy cream (a.k.a. whipping cream)
3 tablespoons capers, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound pasta, cooked al dente, drained (reserving about 1/4 cup of the cooking water), and tossed with olive oil
Freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned. Add the smoked salmon and continue cooking just until the salmon turns opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the cream and add the capers. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Be careful how much salt you add because the smoked salmon and capers are both salty.

Add the pasta and toss to coat. If there doesn't appear to be enough sauce, add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to thin it down. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 [or 2.5 for two meals! It was almost better the next day!]

The first time we made this, I felt like the salmon was a little mushy. It was still VERY GOOD, don't get me wrong -- even with slightly mushy salmon! I think we might have cooked it too long before adding the pasta. My recommendations are to either (a) don't cook too long after adding the salmon or (b) add the salmon closer to the end.

This recipe has immediately become a family favorite, and even Mr. Nick was clamoring for more!

September is Baby Safety Month

2007-09-01T21:40:00.000-04:00

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- September is Baby Safety Month, sponsored annually by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA). Now in its 24th year, this month-long education campaign exists to increase consumer awareness of safety issues surrounding the safe use and selection of juvenile products.

This year's Baby Safety Month theme focuses on getting parents and caregivers "Out & About With Baby" by providing valuable information for keeping baby safe outside of the home. From carriers to car seats to strollers and more, there are a wide variety of products all parents and caregivers need. With more options available than ever before, there is quite a bit to consider when choosing the product best suited for baby.

Each year, JPMA relies on the cooperation of retailers to assist in spreading the word about Baby Safety Month. Again this year, JPMA provided retailers with electronic access to all Baby Safety Month materials at http://www.jpma.org.

More than ever before, the safety of juvenile products is top of mind among parents nationwide. That's why JPMA's Certification Program offers added assurance the product was built with safety in mind. Through the program, products are tested by independent laboratories to confirm compliance with the current safety standard. For example, a JPMA Certified crib must meet the U.S. standards which includes 16 CFR 1303. If it is JPMA Certified, lead testing (on surface coatings) is required annually. This is just one of the many benefits of buying JPMA certified products.

"JPMA understands the enormous task of raising a child, and constantly strives to educate the public about the safe use and selection of juvenile products," commented Kelly Mariotti, JPMA Chairperson. "This September, we're enlisting the help of retailers to spread the message of safety, so parents and caregivers can feel confident in the juvenile products they use and get baby 'out and about' safely."

Baby Safety Month started in 1983 when JPMA initiated "Expectant Mother's Day." In 1986, it was extended to a week long celebration, until 1991, when JPMA sponsored the first "Baby Safety Awareness Month." Since then, every September has been designated as Baby Safety Month.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, Inc. is an international trade organization of 325 member companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. These companies manufacture and/or import infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding, and a wide range of accessories and decorative items.

For more information on JPMA, Baby Safety Month or to order the Safe and Sound for Baby brochure, contact JPMA at 856.638-0420 or visit the Web site at http://www.jpma.org.

When Did Drivers Get so #$%&*@! Selfish and RUDE?

2007-08-28T12:29:00.000-04:00

Sometime during the wee hours of the morning, a man was shot by the Police near our house during a high speed chase. That might explain the sirens I heard around 1:00 a.m.....Ironically, this story was one of the first things I heard as I turned on the radio in my car and headed for work.

I didn't get very far.....

Less than a mile up the road, I came across a MESS. The Police had blocked the road [which leads to day care!], and traffic was jammed going the other way. I turned around and headed home, because my husband had a meeting at 8:30, and I knew he'd never get through to day care in time. Plus, I wanted to make sure they were even open.

So, needless to say, I sat in the awful traffic and took Nicholas to day care while hubby headed in the opposite direction with no back-up. What is normally a five minute drive took about 30! And here is where the rudeness started.....some stupid woman had to speed up and jump over into the right lane and block everyone turning right! I was one of them. We attempted to "sneak" around her and turn anyway, and she gave us dirty looks! Was she afraid that I would possibly scratch her POS junker with my Lexus....? Please.....

This happened a second time at another turn. This time, the stupid woman didn't even go up to the painted white line -- she was about half a car length behind it. So, it wasn't even possible for me and the eight cars [also with their blinkers on] behind me to turn. I honked to tell her to "move up", but she was too busy talking on her mobile phone to notice, I guess.

Okay, so I drop him off and head to work. It should only take me about 15 minutes to get there.....yeah, RIGHT!

I mostly take back roads to/from work, because the highway is a nightmare during rush hour. Lately, work crews have been doing something to one of my cut through roads, but I never know when it will be closed! Yes, yes, you guessed it.....it was CLOSED this morning.....

I was already in the left turn lane and was going to turn down the closed road and turn around....but NO, some old dude was pulled way OUT past the white line [where was HE when I wanted to turn right???], and I couldn't get between him and the "Road Closed" sign. So, now I had to wait for the traffic to go straight and then move into that lane, so I could turn around up the road.

Aaaarrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Now, I'm turned back around and off to the detour. What else could go wrong, right....? Good GOLLY Miss MOLLY.....there's a car accident! A truck and compact have somehow collided [how, I couldn't figure out], and they now have part of a lane blocked. I am in a long line of cars trying to turn at this intersection. The road I was on dead ends into another road, so we either had to turn right or left [or AROUND, which many people were doing.....I had no other way to go, so I was stuck.]

More rudeness.....not ONE FREAKING car going along the road in EITHER direction would stop and let anyone out! Many cars were turning down the road, but they wouldn't let anyone turn out in front of them. Then, a minivan goes flying up the left lane past about 12 of us and turns right at the intersection -- cutting everyone off! I'm shocked that THEY didn't cause an even BIGGER accident.

Finally, the people who had the accident started directing traffic, and I was able to turn right and head to work. I swore, ONE MORE #$%&*@! THING, and I am heading home!

Alas, nothing else happened, and I made it here......about an hour after leaving home.....I'm really thinking I should have stayed home in the FIRST place! In bed. In my jammies.....

Join got baby! at cafemom

2007-08-27T16:29:00.000-04:00

I'm Walking. Yes, Indeed.....

2007-08-23T20:13:00.000-04:00

My good friend and Maid of Honor, Diane, has a son who was born a mere eleven hours after Nicholas. Her baby started walking around 9.5 months....while Nick remained on all fours. I began to wonder, "Is there something wrong with MY baby....? Why isn't HE walking yet?? When will he walk? And when should I be worried....?"

Perhaps you are asking yourself these same questions....so, here is some information to put your mind at ease. It's possible you have a baby with a big, ole noggin' like mine! I'm not sure how that kid could balance that thing....but he's learning!

On August 22, my almost 1-year-old took his first steps, and I started crying! I was so happy to be there! I'd been afraid that I would miss this amazing milestone.....

More about Babies/Toddlers and walking:

When and how it happens
Your child has been training for his first steps from the day he was born. Over the first year, he has been developing his muscle strength and coordination, and has mastered one physical feat after another, from sitting to rolling over to crawling or scooting. Once he nailed these skills, he was ready to move on to pulling himself up to a standing position and even cruising around a room while holding on to furniture for support. After that, it's been a matter of gaining the confidence and balance to set out on his own. Learning to walk takes a lot of practice, which can go on for a long time. And mastering it is a major advance in your toddler's struggle to become more independent.

12 to 18 months
Most children take their first steps between 11 and 14 months, but the normal range for reaching this milestone is very broad. Some kids walk as early as 8 months, others as late as 17 months. Don't worry if your child is one of the later ones — what's important is the progression of skills. If your child was a little late learning to roll over and crawl, chances are he'll need a few extra weeks or months for walking as well. As long as he keeps learning new things, you don't have to be too concerned.

Soon after your toddler takes his first steps, he'll learn to stoop down and then stand back up again. If your child's an early walker, he's probably enamored of toys that he can push or pull as he toddles.

19 to 24 months
As your child becomes more sure on his feet, he'll start to feel more comfortable walking while holding something in his hands, such as a ball or a stuffed animal. He'll also challenge himself by carrying heavier loads, so don't be surprised if you catch him trying to lift something too heavy for him, such as a briefcase. He's also thrilled to discover that he can run, not just walk, from one place to another.

25 to 30 months
By the time he's 2, your child has grown so confident of his ambling abilities that he now takes part in games like tag and ring-around-the-rosy. At around 26 months, his steps will become more even, and he'll have the hang of the smooth heel-toe motion adults use. At this age your toddler probably also enjoys jumping and climbing, which means you need to decide now what you want the rules to be about bounding all over the furniture.

31 to 36 months
There are still some actions — like balancing on a curb or standing on one foot — that require concentration and effort, but by the time your child's third birthday rolls around, walking is second nature to him. He no longer needs to exert as much energy to walk, stand, run, or jump, and he's more nimble on his feet. He can stop and start a sprint at the drop of a hat, and zip left and right with little hesitation. Watch him experiment with the power of his limbs — as he hops on one foot, for example.

When to be concerned
Kids develop skills differently — some more quickly than others — but if you're concerned that your child may have a physical delay or if he missed a motor milestone (he's still crawling at 18 months, for example), bring it up with his doctor. There may be perfectly logical reasons for your child's taking his time. Maybe he's busy working on another developmental task, like talking, or maybe he just likes to take his time whenever he learns a new skill. Keep in mind that toddlers who are heavier or who were born prematurely often learn to walk a little later than others.

Most children walk on their toes occasionally when they're cruising, especially on bare floors. Some do it just for fun. But your child shouldn't toe-walk the majority of the time. If you notice that your child walks on his toes all the time, he may have a physical problem (such as a short Achilles tendon) that's preventing him from putting his feet flat on the floor. It could also be a sign of a more serious motor disorder, such as mild cerebral palsy.

Your child's feet may turn in slightly when he walks, which is called in-toeing. For almost all kids, in-toeing improves by itself over time. If it doesn't, consult your child's doctor.

What's next
After your child's able to run proficiently, he'll develop the ability to skip. Some experts believe that skipping — which looks like pure fun but requires a complicated right-foot-left-foot motion and sense of balance — flexes the same brain and body muscles used to read and write. As your child's physical skills develop, you may want to channel his energy into organized group activities, such as soccer or gymnastics.

Almost One Year!

2007-08-22T09:21:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that Nicholas will be the big 0-1 on Saturday. I feel like I just gave birth to him!! Where did the last year go? When did he get so BIG? Why didn't I take MORE photos of him??? I feel like I'm forgetting what it was like when he was small and new....

How Cool is This? Fun With Rock You

2007-08-19T20:20:00.000-04:00

- Get Your Own

The Woes of Daycare

2007-08-18T19:06:00.000-04:00

Pink Eye and Sore Throats and Bites, oh my! The woes of daycare. My son has been in daycare since I returned to work after maternity leave. He started part time but then moved to full time. I think that was tougher on ME than him.....

Within the first week, he had pink eye, though. He's had it two more times since then. I'm in my late 30s, and I have NEVER had pink eye...how is that possible? A baby less than 1 has pink eye three times compared to a grown adult who has never had it....?

He's also had multiple colds and boog noses. Those are fun....cleaning the dried, crispy snot from around his nose, because they didn't do it at daycare.

Then, there's the biting. He's been bitten 3 or 4 times. The first time it happened, I was given an "incident report" and told what happened. I wasn't told WHO bit my son. I was told this was "normal" for children of this age. Okay.....

The second time it happened, I asked, "Was it the same child....?" Oh no, no.....I was assured it was not the same baby.

The third time it happened I also wasn't given many details. I guess my son went to bear hug another child and got a chomp on his arm. None of these bites broke the skin, and they healed within days. Nick seemed fine, and he wasn't biting or hitting back [good boy! He's been taught some manners!]. Again, we let it go.

By the fourth time, I was really starting to wonder why my son seemed to be a chew toy in his class! I mean, is he so sweet that the like to chew on him???? So, really.....what's the deal? And who was doing the biting?

Well, I sweet talked my way into the answers. The girls who run his room finally admitted to me that one little girl seemed to be the culprit. Ironically, this little toddler was just brought into the room by another caregiver. After I told her how much I liked the flowers on her shoes, I asked her to only kiss and love Nick and not bite him anymore.

Every time I see her, she now comes over and shows me her shoes with the pink flowers. And so far....no more bites from her! Even though she didn't REALLY understand what I was saying, maybe she just understood enough....

Toys for Tots

2007-08-05T22:32:00.000-04:00

In a few weeks, I will officially have a toddler on my hands. Some consider the first birthday to be the milestone -- while others say they have become a toddler when they start walking. For me, it's the birthday. Although I'll always think of Nicholas as my baby, the world will begin to think otherwise after August 25th....

So, what do I get my toddler on the big 0-1? If you are also struggling with what to get my son for his birthday [ha, ha!], I thought this article might help....

Your toddler is really taking off these days — and as you chase her little body down the street, you may miss the days before she learned to use her legs so well. "Active" is an apt way to describe her now, and she likes any toy or game that allows her to throw her whole self into it — balls, swings, and tiny climbing sets, to name a few.

Her hands are becoming more coordinated, too, and she can now use toy sorters more efficiently, build even greater block towers, and scribble a drawing. Her play involves lots of experimentation, like "What happens if I drop this ball?" or "What happens if pull this lever?" She's very interested in the consequences of her actions, and because her memory isn't well developed she won't tire of repetition. Toddlers also like to try out what they see adults doing, so look for toys that imitate daily life.

Large building bricks: These light cardboard bricks are big enough to stack up into a fort or wall, or any other way your toddler wants. But the most satisfying part of the process continues to be the finale — when the walls come tumbling down.

Push and pull toys: Heavily weighted push toys can give your beginner something to lean into as she motors around your home. Wagons can be ideal. Pull toys are for slightly advanced walkers who can look behind them as they move forward.

Give them something to look at: Pull toys that flap, bobble, squeak, or in any other way make a scene are favorites. To find out more about walking and your toddler, click here. [Would the TV be considered a big toy they can look at....? See Nick watching "Finding Nemo" recently....he and his doggy look pretty comfy in his big, gel pillow, huh?]

Sorting and nesting toys: Toddlers love to sort, stack, unsort, unstack, and basically reorganize their lives. Sorting and nesting toys are great fun for those who are trying out their early problem-solving skills.

Climbing gym: A tiny gym can give your toddler a safe place to climb, hide, slide, and practice all her emerging motor skills — over and over again. But these sets can also be pricey and are quickly outgrown. [Do the stairs count as a climbing gym...? No? Okay, just checking....]

Balls: Any ball that's easy to grasp will be a hit with this group — underinflated beach balls, vinyl balls, cloth balls. Stay away from foam balls that could end up as a mouthful. This is the age at which you can introduce your child to "catch." Start slowly — she'll begin to get the back-and-forth rhythm with some practice. [Balls are Nicholas's FAVORITE toy!]

Washable crayons and paper: Let the scribbling begin! Hand your toddler no more than a couple of crayons at a time — you don't want to overwhelm her — and tape the paper to the floor so she can make her mark without dragging the paper along with her.

Ride-on vehicles: This mode of self-locomotion may be even more popular than walking. Many small ride-on toys have models with handles for an adult to push when the child gets tired. Avoid the electronic versions — they're expensive and take away from the fun of getting around under your own power.

Tool bench or toy kitchen: Junior fix-it kids or aspiring chefs will get hours of play out of plastic or wooden models scaled to their size. Sets like these give a child a chance to emulate the things he sees adults doing, and they'll continue to hold his interest for several months as his play gets more sophisticated.

Picture books: Your toddler will enjoy more advanced picture books showing familiar objects and activities. She may also start to take pride in her own library and the chance to pick out a favorite for you to read. For more ideas, see our recommended books for toddlers.

Girls Really DO Prefer Pink

2007-08-02T22:08:00.000-04:00

I have two [step] daughters, and they both own many pink items. The 10-year-old has branched out to other colors and has announced that she actually likes blue better. I'm guessing she has made this switch since her younger sister is a pink-aholic......

Found this article and thought it was interesting:

Girls really do prefer pink

Mon, Aug 20, 2007 (HealthDay News) — As the mother of a newborn baby girl, Dr. Anya C. Hurlbert wondered why all the products aimed at her daughter tended to have a pinkish tint.

As a professor of visual neuroscience at Newcastle University in England, Hurlbert was able to create a scientifically sound study to determine whether girls really do prefer pink. The answer, as outlined in a report in the Aug. 21 issue of the journal Current Biology, is "yes." Females do have a preference for pinkish colors that males don't.

"We find very clear differences between the males and females we have tested," Hurlbert said. "We haven't yet found any exceptions."

In more formal terms, females in the study showed a preference for the reddish side of the red-green axis of colors, while males didn't. There was no gender difference in preferences on the blue-yellow axis, with everyone tipping toward blue. The study included 208 participants, ranging in age from 20 to 26.

That bluish preference seems natural, Hurlbert said — blue skies and all that. The female tilt toward pink, she speculated, arose from evolutionary influences millions of years ago. "Females were the ones who gathered red fruit against a green background," she said. "Red is healthy in faces and in fruits.

"Cultural influences may have accentuated this natural female preference, she said.

The study Hurlbert did asked several hundred young men and women to make quick decisions on which color they preferred as pairs of colors flashed on a screen in front of them. "We did about a thousand different pairs," she noted.

Some Chinese people were included in the study along with native Britons, to get evidence that the results were true in more than one ethnic group.

While there has been speculation about a possible female preference for pink, "there has been very little hard evidence for sex differences," Hurlbert said. "We now have provided pretty robust and reliable evidence."

Kathy Mullen, a professor of ophthalmology at McGill University in Montreal, said, "I wouldn't be surprised at all that there is a gender difference. That's not to say that it's genetic. It might be a cultural thing."

Color preferences are also known to change with age, Mullen said.The "nature-versus-nurture" controversy about favorite colors can be tested by studying infants, Hurlbert said. There are plans to use a modified version of the color-choice test in young babies at her institution, she said.

More informationFor more on how people see colors, visit the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. -- Ed Edelson

LINK: http://www.babycenter.com/204_girls-really-do-prefer-pink_5208995.bc?Ad=com.bc.common.AdInfo%4018d095bb

How to raise a fun and funny child

2007-08-01T20:02:00.000-04:00

Developmental experts who've studied humor say a childhood filled with laughter and fun has benefits that last a lifetime. "A sense of humor offers a huge advantage in life," says Lawrence J. Cohen, author of Playful Parenting and a psychologist specializing in children's play. "It's one of the best ways people have figured out to cope with things that are difficult."

A child who can easily tap his funny bone is more likely to make strong friendships, be well-liked by peers, and as an adult get along with colleagues at work, manage frustration, diffuse conflict, and suffer less from depression. A sense of humor is also linked to intelligence, self-esteem, creativity, and problem solving.

==========================================
I find this very interesting, because I think this helps explain why my son is so happy. I'm a big goof ball with him, and we will both sing together and pound on the table together. He thinks it's fun to feed me his puffy or fruit snacks and loves when I imitate him. We are always laughing, and I'm glad to see it will benefit him in ways I never imagined....

Our fun and funny child....Nicholas with his usual BIG, toothy, happy grin.....

New Home for Ginger..? Or a Big Scam...

2007-07-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

Today, my husband is meeting someone from a rescue group to turn over our dog, Ginger. This was a difficult decision to make, but in the end, it was the best decision -- for us AND for Ginger.

See, Ginger is a 4-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer. If you know anything about the breed, then you know they are HIGH ENERGY hunting dogs. They need exercise. Activity. They don't do so well with the laying around, chilling out thing -- at least, ours doesn't.

Poor Ginger just hasn't gotten much attention since Nicholas arrived -- even before that. Our focus has been on so many other things.....a new house/moving, our wedding, then my pregnancy, then the baby, now new jobs and my business......there really isn't much time or energy left for a dog.....especially a dog who craves activity.

While Andy was out of town, I placed an online ad on Petfinder.com and some other sites. And I quickly started getting E-mails......but they were from a bunch of scumbag scammers! Oh, let me tell you how this scam works.....and warn you: Don't fall for it!!

The first time somebody tried to pull this scam on me, I was selling a breast pump via Craigslist. They contacted me and said they were in California. Red flag #1. They weren't anywhere near me, so, of course, we couldn't meet or anything. If someone is contacting you from far away, then it's probably a scam....I mean, come on, there aren't any breast pumps for sale in CA?

Secondly, they wanted to pay with PayPal. Now, this wasn't a red flag to me -- I feel PayPal is pretty safe. I didn't think of somebody sending funds from an account that isn't their own, though. The scammers trying to "buy" my dog, however, wanted to pay with Cashier's check or money order. These should be red flags, because you can forge both, but I would say PayPal is more of a pink flag. And banks will cash these fake checks and money orders and then come after YOU later for the funds.

Red flag #3 -- they all mention that they have a mysterious, yet highly reliable, "shipper" who will pick up the item from me at my home when it's convenient for me. Hmmm......MAJOR clue that it's a scam. As soon as you see the word "shipper" and not "UPS" or "FedEx"....you will know.

Red flag #4 -- some of them wanted to make sure they could TRUST me in regards to the transaction. From one E-mail: "i'll like this transaction to be kept in outmost trust". OUTMOST trust....? What is that exactly? Does that mean you trust me NOT to report you after you steal my money....? Or you trust me to be a gullible moron....? How about this one: "I ALSO WANT THIS TO BASE ON TRUST CAN I TRUST YOU?" The more important question is, can I trust YOU? The answer is obviously, "Yes, I can trust you to steal my money."

Red flag #5 -- English is OBVIOUSLY NOT their first or even second language. Not ONE of these scammers had even semi-decent grammar. Some E-mails were hard to read while most were just laughable. They don't use verbs much.....or punctuation.

Okay, so we agreed on a price. Let's say $300 for the dog and a shipping crate. Oh, that was another thing -- nobody would talk about how they were shipping a LIVE dog. MAJOR RED FLAG. Or answer my questions about their home environment and where the dog would live. They all wanted to skip right to my "last asking price" and making payment as quickly as possible.

Then, they say they need my name and address for the cashier's check or money order. And OH, by the way.....they are going to add "some funds" to the total amount and TRUST ME to pay their shipper:

i have seen the price and its ok by me,then i will issue a cashier check to you.meanwhlie i will also include the some of $3000 on the payment so you should expect a cashier check of $3300.why is that the shipper that is coming for the pickup of the pet we collet the excees fund from you when he or she is coming foir the pickup at your location.

Wow....so, this TOTAL stranger is going to TRUST ME to handle their $3000....????! Oh, the reason for the extra amount? Because the shipper is picking up another 7 dogs "in my area", and I guess I must be the most trustworthy of the group to pay the SHIPPER.....?

Here's what scares me -- were they going to really take the dog? And, if so, what were they going to do with her.....? Maybe Michael Vick is behind this scam......

There are some really sick people out there. I almost wish I had continued with the scam and then made arrangements for the shipper to come "pick up" the dog.....and our fine boys in blue would be waiting there instead. My guess is that the shipper might not actually be part of the scam! Who knows?

Other signs someone is trying to scam you:

1. E-mails often end with "God Bless" and "Have a Nice Day!" They seem so nice, don't they? Somebody who blesses me would never SCAM me, right....?

2. They don't really seem to care about the item and often don't want details. When it came to my dog, only one asked for a photo. Some asked questions that seemed like they had cut and paste from some "form" E-mail......from a "How to Scam 101" manual or something. What are the "conditions" of the pet.....? Very few asked any NORMAL questions -- how old, is she good with kids, in good health, what's she like, why are you finding her a new home, etc.

3. Their names are weird....Tonne or Kerry or Mista. Or they might have a first name like "Joe" or "Jim" but then a weird last name. And their E-mail addresses are often odd, too, and make no sense. Rarely do they include their name. And they are usually from Yahoo or Hotmail.

4. They agree to any price waaaaay too quickly. Of course they do! They don't actually plan to PAY you anything. In fact, they basically ask, "what ARE the fees?" and don't really care what you answer. They just want to get you that "extra" amount ASAP, so you can pay their SHIPPER.

5. They usually offer you a little "extra" for your time and effort: "i will also compensate you $100 for your self for the running around" One scammer couldn't do his math, so I was actually going to LOSE money on the deal. I mean, I would be losing money anyway, because they would have MY money when it was all said and done, and I'm guessing I would be responsible to the bank or whomever. But this one scammer said to "keep" $100 for running around, but then the balance he told me to wire to his shipper included that amount! D'oh. Say it with me people -- RED FLAG.

For the PayPal scam, there were some other red flags. The person who contacted me originally was a man who lived in California. Payment came from a woman in Arizona. [Oh, and the note on her payment said it was for UNICEF!]. The "shipper" was in D.C. Red flag, red flag, red flag.

There is also a variation of this scam. Once I was trying to bid on iJoy chairs on eBay. I lost an auction but was the second highest bidder. Somebody contacted me and said they were the seller and the high bidder backed out -- did I want the chair? Well, of course I did! But first, I would have to wire cash [RED FLAG] via Western Union [RED FLAG] to England [RED FLAG!]........even the mention of Western Union is enough to tell you that it's a SCAM.

Fortunately, I didn't fall for any of these scams, and I hope you don't either! People like this make me sick....

Baby's First Shoes

2007-07-24T08:03:00.000-04:00

Nicholas got his first pair of shoes today. I was out shopping at lunch and popped into the nearby Gymboree. They are having a great sale, and lots of the summer stuff is 40% off. I picked up the CUTEST outfits for Nick -- with sailboats, so Daddy loved them, of course. He wore his one shirt to the Flying Scot regatta at Cowan Lake a few weeks back.

Anyway, I thought I should get some shoes for Nicholas, even though he isn't really walking. He can scoot around furniture and will walk if you hold his hands. But he hasn't learned to balance that big noggin just yet.

I had to guess at the size, since he wasn't there. I went with 4 and bought some cute summer shoes. He can wear them in the water, so they will be great at the ocean.

Got them home and thought I'd try putting them on him while he was busy stuffing his face with veggie poofs.

Oh my GOD! You would have thought I was beating the poor child, he was crying so hard. The shoes seemed to fit, so I don't know WHAT was wrong. I guess he doesn't like shoes -- which means he is so not related to me or my younger brother.....Curt might have had more shoes than Imelda Marcos at one point.....

Anyway, Andy got home last night, and I showed him the shoes. We are going to take the Pickle to the mall tonight and try fitting shoes on him and see how it goes. Maybe the 4s are too small, or maybe they were pinching his toes or maybe he just didn't like them. Don't know. But he's going to have to learn to wear shoes at some point!

Christmas Came Early.....

2007-06-06T07:55:00.000-04:00

....And it's called FATHER'S DAY! Wow, it's been a wild ride, Mr. Toad. Since May 30 or so, we've had record-breaking sales every day. Even the weekend was good, and the weekends are almost never good. So, if you are reading this, and you bought something from us for Dad, then THANK YOU! You rock!

This mad flurry of Dad Day sales motivated me to create some new designs for Dad. I've been so busy with my new job that I just haven't had time to work on anything new. :( Boo hoo, I know. So, I stayed up late one night and worked on some ideas that have been sitting on scraps of paper in my office.

That's usually what happens -- I get an idea, and I frantically search for a piece of paper to write it on, or else it could be gone in seconds. Funny.....wasn't that way BEFORE I had a baby.....?

What was I saying.....?

Oh yes, ideas. So, I pulled out some scraps, chuckled at a few, groaned at some others, and got to work. The result?

She's Having My Baby
Don't Need Directions

Okay, so that's all I had time to do for Dad.....I did work on some new designs in Spanish, too, but I will save those for my next post.....and some new baby designs, including a little series about baby starting the "Terrible Two's" early......please check them out!

Happy Father's Day to all, and to all....a good night! [Like I said, Christmas came early.....]

Hello World!

2007-06-01T21:34:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted to my blog.....just been SO busy with the new job and the got baby! biz. But life is GOOD, so I can't complain. The new job is absolutely wonderful -- I'm loving every second of it. My manager rocks, the company rocks, the work rocks, the shorter commute rocks, my title rocks, and my pay rocks. Making this move was the best thing I could have done -- for ME, for my mental health, for my creative inner child and for my career. I am one happy camper!

The got baby! business is going well, too, especially with Father's Day sales kicking into gear. May was better than December, so that's quite something. It enabled got baby! to buy a slick, High Def digital camcorder for filming advertisements and other stuff. And I got this killer 24" monitor for the biz. Really, I can't complain!

Oh wait....I got summoned for jury duty....two days before I leave for Las Vegas....is that cause to complain???

By the way, HELLO to any former co-workers and my husband's ex-wife who are still snooping around my blog....hope you're enjoying yourselves. I can see you in the log files....sorry my blog isn't the source of taboo opinions that it might have been in the past......

Later, gotta run! Baby Bird and I are both sick with some sort of cough and congestion thing. I'm going to bed early, in the hopes of beating this thing. I am off to Vegas for a trade show at the end of the month, so I need to make sure I'm well before that trip! Plus, I'm just sick of being sick.

DNA is Like a Box of Chocolates

2007-04-13T13:55:00.000-04:00

So, when Nicholas was first born, most people said he looked more like me. Granted, it's hard to tell with an infant so young, but I did agree with them......over the weekend, though, my mom said that Nick Knack was looking more like Andy! I took a close look at my baby and thought, "Hmmm....I just don't see it...." [or maybe I don't WANT to see it!]

What is lurking in Nicholas's DNA is 50% a mystery. As Forrest Gump would say, it's a box of chocolate....you never know what you're going to get! I suppose that could be true about what I passed on....the only thing I know for sure that I gave to that child are his toes! They are definitely my toes, and they are the same toes that my father has. We all have these lollipop big toes and the second and third are close together. In fact, that's the second thing I said in the delivery room right after, "He's so beautiful! And slippery!" I then said, "He has my feet!"

I remember when I was pregnant, and the doctor asked me about some test for a disease that is hereditary. I said, "Oh, that's okay....it doesn't run in my family." Then, I suddenly realized that I have NO idea what runs in Andy's family! It's because he was adopted, and he has never looked for his biological parents. Therefore, he could have all sorts of things lurking in the shadows of his genes....

Me, for example, I am half Greek. I already know what evil noses and big ears are hidden in my DNA. My grandmother had quite a schnoz! Thankfully, they don't seem to be dominate genes! So far, Nicholas has a cute, normal nose. We'll see if it becomes the German nose that both my brother's and I have.

My biggest concern with this unknown family history stuff is that we don't know what to look for or prevent.....physical appearance is pretty minor compared to the real problems he could have inherited. Like, does cancer run on Andy's side? Mental illness? Or something like that? Same for his girls.....we really don't know.

I guess there isn't much we can do but wait.....and see how our little baby grows....

Whole Foods ROCKS

2007-04-11T08:41:00.000-04:00

There's a Whole Foods grocery near my parents' house. This place ROCKS. I really wish we had one in Cincinnati.....maybe one day we will. I'm hopeful since Whole Foods bought Wild Oats, and we have that grocery.

So, if you haven't been to a WF, you are probably wondering, "What's so great about this place...? It's just a grocery store, after all....."

Just a grocery store. That's like saying the Louvre is "just an art museum." Oh lord, that is quite a dramatic analogy! But oh so fitting.

WF is not cheap, and you probably won't find Tide and Charmin there. Instead, you'll find all sorts of organic stuff. We like it for the organic stuff, but it's the fresh stuff that we love. The fish department is stellar, and they have all these wonderful cheeses, meats and prepared foods. Oh, and the bakery and fresh bread and wine department. Basically, it's ALL good.

While there, we bought some tuna burgers and these spicy buffalo burgers. They were giving samples away....which means there was a HUGE crowd in front of the counter. We bought a couple of burgers and froze them for this weekend. These burgers have quite a kick but are yummy!

We also spent some time in the wine department chatting about Viognier with someone who works there. We were trying to find a nice Champagne for my brother and his wife. They just moved into a new house. In addition to the Champagne, we found one of Andy's favorites, Hangtown Red from the Boeger Winery. He was THRILLED. And I found Wishing Tree Shiraz, which is one of my favorites. So, we were quite happy with our little detour to the wine department.

Maybe if I pray really hard to the Whole Foods gods, they will send one of their stores our way...

New Tooth!

2007-04-10T19:56:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Taylor called me to inform me that Nicholas had a tooth! I guess Andy was waiting for the girls at school and happened to notice something white in Nick Knack's mouth. He felt it and realized it was a tooth -- very exciting!

There's just one so far, and it's on the bottom. And let me tell you....my normally happy-go-lucky, smiling baby has been a little fussy and pill-ish from this whole teething experience. Even the day care ladies commented that he seemed a little fussy -- something they are NOT used to from Nick!

On Sunday night, he would scream every time I put him down in his crib. I finally gave him some apple juice with baby Tylenol in it. AND he and I slept in Taylor's bed [she was at her mom's]. He had a fitful sleep, but he did sleep....unlike his mother who is a light sleeper and wakes up at every little twitch!

It's okay....I did get to nap while he was at day care.....and he seems to have returned to his sweet, happy self. From what I've read, the first few teeth are the worst....so if THIS was the worst, then we are pretty darn lucky.....

What is Wrong With the Dog?!?!?!??!???

2007-04-09T20:06:00.000-04:00

Oh my GOD......never give a dog a lamb bone. This is a lesson I wish we hadn't learned the HARD, nasty way.....

This past weekend was Easter. It was also Greek Easter. So, we packed up Nick and the dog and headed up to visit my parents. As usual, we had a wonderful time and lots of great food. Nick tried some mashed potatoes and really liked them.

Well, since it was Greek Easter, we had lamb. And the lamb came with a bone. My dad and Andy decided it would be a good idea to give this bone to Ginger.....yes, in theory this sounds like an okay plan. Obviously, you wouldn't give chicken bones to a dog, but what's wrong with a little lamb bone, right....?

Ginger was thrilled with her bone and quickly devoured the entire thing. Yes, the entire thing....not sure how she did this, but there was no bone to be found.

That night, the trouble started....she seemed to have a little diarrhea.....okay, gross, but she was doing it outside....so, we put her away for the night and went to bed.

The next morning.....and here is where my story gets NASTY, so stop reading if you don't want all the gory details......well, the next morning we discovered that Ginger and her bowels had been rather busy all night! Thank goodness she's in an UNfinished part of the basement with cement floors.

I'm not sure if there was a jagged part of the bone that caused a little internal damage, because there was blood mixed in with all the brown stuff. I was wondering if she was going to die or something! It was pretty bad.

By the time Andy got home from work, she and her bowels were feeling fine and on their way to being normal. I refused to clean up the nasty mess, so Andy got out the bleach and a scrub brush and got busy. I had to clean up after that dog went through her second [and LAST] heat, because Andy was in China. That time, she had dripped all over the cement floor, so I was scrubbing with bleach on my knees for hours. Andy got a little luckier, although there was the brown stuff mixed in.....gross, gross, gross!

Needless to say.....knick knack, paddy-whack.....never give your dog a lamb bone! Hell, for that matter, we'll never be giving her any bones PERIOD unless they come from the pet store and are filled with something safe like peanut butter......

2 Busy 2 Blog

2007-04-06T19:47:00.000-04:00

Where does the time go? Before I know it, days have passed, and I've had zero time to blog! Just been so busy lately....I have found a moment while Nicholas is busy cooing at the Higgley Town Heroes and gnawing on a plastic doggy.

Things have just been crazy lately. I recently left my employer of eight years, and I was trying to wrap up as much as possible before I went. At the end, it was like a feeding frenzy for all of my stuff! I do admit I had some top notch equipment -- I think I'll miss my 24" Dell wide aspect monitor the most....sniff, sniff.....however, hubby has promised me that I can get one at home! March was our best month ever, so I get to "reward" myself with the monitor. This 19" flat panel seems so puny now....

Internet Scams.....Beware!

2007-04-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

Recently, I decided it was time to try selling the Medela breast pump I barely used. I was going to use eBay, but I feel their fees are a little steep. So, I gave craigslist.com a try. Well, someone from California [who obviously knows English as a second language] contacted me and wanted to buy the pump....the fact that they weren't local should have been my first clue.....

Well, after several e-mails [that were usually one, very long, rambling paragraph], I agreed to sell them the pump and pay their shipper from money they were sending me via PayPal. Hey, it's PayPal, right? I figured I would be safe....how can they screw me over with PayPal....??

We paid about $320 for the pump, and I had it listed at $150. I figured shipping would be about $35 - 50, so I was looking for about $185 to show up in my PayPal account.....NOT $975! I suddenly get an e-mail from PayPal regarding this rather large deposit and then another e-mail from the "buyer" giving me details on what to do with this money.

Seems they had bought several items from sellers in Cincinnati, and they were entrusting me, a total stranger, with making payment to their "shipper" in Washington, D.C. And payment came from somebody in Arizona and was marked "UNICEF." Oh, and I was supposed to use WESTERN UNION to wire the money. And I was supposed to keep an extra $50 for my "trouble" of going to Western Union. However, the math didn't add up, and they didn't send me enough money nor did they tell me where to actually ship the breast pump....hmmmm.....

Are there really people who are THIS stupid or naive that they would fall for this scam? How many red flags do YOU notice in this scenario? Let's see....the horrible English.....all the different locations.....WESTERN UNION [major red flag]......not enough money......

Needless to say, I immediately contacted PayPal and explained the situation to them. They agreed it was a stolen account and scam and are supposed to put a freeze on the payment. Actually, they didn't seem all that concerned....which really surprised me! Wouldn't they have some interest in going after these people who are using THEIR system to scam others out of money.....? You would think so, but maybe not.

Luckily, a local woman contacted me about the breast pump, and I sold it to her instead. She's due in July, and I hope she gets more use from the breast pump than I did! Now, can I interest you in a Chicco carrier.....?

Bouncing Baby Boy

2007-03-31T09:04:00.000-04:00

Last night, we went to the house of my friend, Diane. It was to make up for our missed St. Patty's Day dinner. Her son, Rowan, has been very sick with a virus for awhile, but he's finally better. We had a great evening, and the Ohio State Buckeyes won....all around, a good time.

Diane and Tim have this bouncy seat thing that hangs in a doorway. We put Nicholas in it, and he went NUTS. Nuts in a GOOD way, I should clarify. He was a bouncing fool. It was hysterical to watch him bouncing and spinning around and loving every second of it. We'll definitely be buying one of these for Nicholas as soon as possible.

They also have one of those rolling walker things. Rowan was in it for a little while, but he seems to get upset when he gets stuck. We tried Nicholas in it, but he only wanted to go backwards. I think he'll need a little more practice....something else to add to our shopping list. And something else I'll eventually be selling on craigslist.com!

Formula Breath

2007-03-30T21:14:00.000-04:00

Formula breath is pretty bad. How is it that those cute little things can produce smells that are so foul?? When my little one does a formula burp......oh my GOD, it's usually not pleasant. He's still a cutie.....

Fortunately, most things about baby smell good.....I love the smell of his skin, especially after a bath. And Taylor, one of his sisters, loves the smell of his banana baby food. It reminds me of the Baby Alive food......ick.

I had one of those dolls, and I only fed her once after all the food that went IN suddenly came OUT....much to my shock! My mom found this very amusing and asked me, "Well, where did you think it would go?" Hmmm....I never thought about it, but I guess it couldn't stay inside of her and rot. Gross. So, my poor Baby Alive only got to eat once, but I didn't want to clean up the mess!

Seems the Baby Alive doll didn't do a very good job of preparing me for motherhood! But Nick Knack is well fed, and I am no longer shocked that what goes in must come OUT.....and I've gotten over my issues with cleaning up the mess....as stinky and gross as it might be at times.

Psycho Bird

2007-03-26T18:37:00.000-04:00

On Friday, a crazy bird started bashing itself against our front window.....I kid you not.....this freak of nature bird is still at it....and it's now Monday. This bird is seriously insane.....

From what I can tell, the freak bird is a Robin. A crazy, psycho, weird Robin.....

Now, it's hanging around the sliding glass doors that lead out to our deck. It's like the bird is looking inside to see if we're there! Do we owe it money???!?!?!??

It's making the window look all nasty and gross by bashing it's dirty body against the glass.

Freak bird.

Silly Baby

2007-03-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

So, Nick Knack turns 7 months in two days. And he's changed a lot over the months [which, of course, is supposed to happen!]. I thought I would strip the poor thing down to his nappy and take some fun photos....partly, because my mom has been demanding them and partly because I needed some new shots for the Web site. And it was a nice, warm day, so I knew he wouldn't get chilled being half naked.

Well....let me tell you WHAT! I got some great shots! I just started snapping away and let Nick be Nick. What a little character....he's going to be such a riot when he starts talking! I can't wait to hear what comes out of his silly brain.

These two photos are from our informal "photo shoot." Two of my favorites. And YES, I immediately sent several to my mom, so she could print them out for the fridge. I, on the other hand, have added the Mr. Flirty shot above to my computer as the wallpaper. Now, if I'm having a bad day, I can minimize all my programs and laugh at that precious face. Either that, or I'll head to youtube.com and watch his videos.

Speaking of videos.....I have one of an insane Robin bashing itself against one of our windows for hours. I kid you not. This STUPID bird start flying into one of our large picture windows around 8:00 a.m. By 9:00, I was filming it. I couldn't believe the thing was still at it!! I filmed it off and on for about 45 minutes! The entire time, it's alternating between flying into the window and sitting on a tree limb, staring at the window. No idea why this bird would even want to slam into the window over and over.......did we owe it money or something? Seriously, what the HELL?

Finally, around 11:00, it had slowed down to a crash into the window every fifteen minutes. At this point, I had to run into work and then pick up our tax documents. This took several hours since I had Nicholas in tow, and he was very popular with the ladies. When I got back, that freak of a bird was STILL sitting in the tree right outside this window. And sure enough....I got into the house and heard a little bird mass slam against the window.

And no, I am not some sick, inhumane person.....I did go out several times and try to "shoo" away this blasted bird. It really was.....thump......getting annoying.....thump.....hearing this bird slam......thump, thump......itself against the.....thump......window.......

Didn't work. It kept coming back.

In fact, another Robin flew over, and the two of them went at it. I can only imagine what the new Robin was thinking....you know, if it was capable of complex thought.....Hey, dumb ass.....quit slamming into that window. You look like an idiot! And you're making Robins look bad....

FINALLY, the bird took off when it started to rain. We shall see if this crazy creature returns tomorrow for another day of window thumping.

Free iPod -- it's TRUE!

2007-03-22T22:21:00.000-04:00

So, my hubby's free iPod arrived recently. He was hinting around about wanting one before the holidays. The 8 GB one ain't cheap, so I thought I would try one of those "answer this survey for a free iPod" deals.

Well, it's not ONE survey, of course....and then you have to participate in all these deals. At the first level, everything was free or maybe $1. At the next level, I joined a cook book club and a coffee of the month deal. I do love my cook books, and the biscotti that came with the coffee was damn good. We got a free coffee maker, too, and I sold that at work for the cost of the club -- not too shabby, huh? So, it was really free for the coffee and biscotti, because I cancelled after my initial sign-up purchase.

Anywho, level three, the final level, required a little more skin in the game. I had to join a pricey wine club and apply for a Discover card. We did get 12 bottles of wine for something like $125, so I guess that isn't too bad.

However, I got declined for the Discover card at first and thought, "WTF? Oh, so THIS is how they screw you out of the iPod!!!" I did everything else but got dinged on this. And I have very good credit, so this seemed a little fishy.....

A call to Discover cleared things up, thankfully -- they were reading my credit report wrong. Hello! I got my card, and all worked out.

Unfortunately, the hubby got a wrapped box with nothing more than a note card that said "Your new iPod is on its way...." And on February 26, the note card came true. It was a serious pain in the BUTT....I probably should have ponied up the $250 in the first place and saved myself the hassle of completing all these offers.....

Ohhhh......and after only having this new iPod for a few weeks......POOF.....it disappears. Hubby can't find it anywhere. I'm about to kill him. And then I remember that he left his wallet in his pants a few weeks prior and it went through the wash....so, maybe.....just maybe.......ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Luckily, I found the iPod before the pants went off to the dry cleaner, never to be seen again, I'm sure.....

Goodbye Working from Home.....

2007-03-20T21:47:00.000-04:00

Up until now, I have been very fortunate. My current employer has allowed me to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays. It's been GREAT. I obviously get that extra time with my son, but it also saves us money. Most importantly, I get that extra time with my son.... if it wasn't for working from home, then I would have missed my son rolling over for the first time!

Anyway, for various reasons, we can no longer work from home on a regular or scheduled basis. That means, my poor baby will spend five days a week in day care. I suppose it could be worse. I'm glad I did have the time to "ease" him into a full time schedule versus dumping him into full time day care at three months.

When I talked to the day care about putting Nick in full time, they mentioned that the numbers worked out well, because another mom was putting her son in part time. I think it's Nick's little friend, Leo. His mom mentioned working part time -- lucky her!

Fun With Video

2007-03-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

No time to write. I've been playing around with making videos all weekend! We've been having a lot of fun....at my poor baby's expense! Of course, we haven't done anything to hurt or harm him.....but he has definitely been the subject of our fun....

Nicholas Having Fun

Lord, I Miss Hawaii

2007-03-17T07:21:00.000-04:00

I was up early with the baby. Had he not pooped his diaper something fierce, I'm sure he would have slept longer, but that's how it goes. So, I got him cleaned up, fed him a bottle and now he's asleep again! Meanwhile, Mommy is wide awake.....

Not much on at 6:11 a.m., so I switched over to the HBO channels and stumbled upon "Blue Hawaii." Now, I am not an Elvis fan, but I decided to watch just for the shots of Hawaii. I'm guessing this was filmed on Oahu versus Maui or another island. Even still -- it really makes me want to go back and soon! I'll put up with some horrible acting for the shots of the ocean....although, I really think Elvis needs to let the bitchy blond drown herself!

Today is St. Patty's Day. We have plans with a friend of mine. She was my Maid of Honor, and she delivered eleven hours after I did in the same hospital. We have that cool bond and always will. I'm hoping our boys grow up to be friends, especially since they can say they knew each other from birth -- literally!

I'm not sure if we'll do any green beer -- maybe some green wine! Should be a fun time. Seems as though we never go out or do anything anymore.....we just go to work and then work on got baby! I'm not really complaining, because I'm afraid I'd have Cafepress withdrawal after awhile....

My brackets are tanking. Unfortunately, Yahoo! isn't doing a very good job of keeping them updated! So, I'm not totally sure how I'm doing. I started out at the top of the family pool, but I keep losing ground.....however, my dad, sis-in-law and I all have OSU and Kansas in the final two, so this could get interesting....

Happy St. Patty's....I Guess

2007-03-13T18:25:00.000-04:00

I was a little late coming up with some St. Patty's Day designs. I ADMIT IT. I really should have had them out on my site several weeks ago, but I haven't had much luck with the seasonal designs. I don't know why. I sell a few Christmas/Winter items, but that's about it.

Well, I was trolling the Cafepress forums and came across a discussion regarding March sales. For the love of GOD.....one shopkeeper was cleaning UP! He'll probably make more in March than I will all year. And from what I could tell, it was all St. Pat's stuff.

That got me thinking....hmmmm....maybe I should add some Irish and St. Patrick's Day designs. So, I did. I tried to be all creative and use Gaelic for some.....not a single sale. I have sold a couple of my "O'Baby, We've Got a Wee One on the Way" which is kinda St. Pat-ish, but that was it. And I really thought some of them were pretty good!

So, what is the lesson for today, kiddies? Either (a) skip holiday/seasonal designs or (b) get your designs out EARLY. I suppose I'll give it one more try next year, but if nothing sells again, then I am going cold turkey on the holiday stuff....

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

2007-03-08T06:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my husband's birthday. I won't mention his age -- he'll appreciate that! We didn't really celebrate. We'll do that tonight with the kids. I did buy two very nice bottles of wine and gave Andy his pick between a Merlot or Cab. As I expected, he picked the Merlot. We can save the Cab for another time...

Dinner was nothing special, but we'll make up for it tonight when we dine at Buca di Beppo! We love that place, although you do come out el stink-o! I think it's from the garlic. Your clothes really reek the next morning....

Whenever we go to Buca di Beppo, we try to get the table in the kitchen. That's our favorite. There's only one, and you get to be a part of the kitchen action. The girls love it, and sometimes they will give you free meatballs. The girls love that, too, especially since the meatballs are the size of tennis balls!

My favorite dish is the Chicken Marsala, but it's all good. Andy loves this Shrimp Arrabiata or something like that....it's spicy, and they don't have it very often. Maybe he'll be in luck tonight! The girls love the pasta dishes, especially the cheese Tortelloni. And everybody loves the big dessert with cake and ice cream......like I said, it's all good! I might just skip lunch in preparation.....

Irregular

2007-03-06T20:18:00.000-05:00

I am becoming irregular with my posts....and I swore I would post every day. Yeah, so I didn't swear that to anyone but myself, but that counts for something. I think a blog should be posted to daily unless you are on vacation or without Internet access or something like that...

So, I tried posting to the Cafepress forums. It just seems to me that lots of people are more interested in wishing each other Happy Birthday and praying for donots [which means "sales"]. I was hoping for some decent feedback, and I only really got that from 1-2 people.....oh well, I guess I won't be posting to the forums again. Too bad, because I enjoyed posting and trying to interact.....just wish I had more feedback.

Nick Knack is waking up, so I must prepare the bedtime bottle....more later.

Handy Andy

2007-03-04T15:02:00.000-05:00

My husband, Andy, is a very handy man to have around. He's an incredibly talented carpenter and good at fixing things. For the most part, he does a great job.

In his last house, he attempted to do some plumbing work that involved soldering....and well, it didn't go all that well. I remember it used to drip. I guess he never quite got it sealed.

We're in a new house now, and he's been busy working on his shop in the unfinished part of the basement. He put in walls and built shelves. His new workbench is very nice. He's very, very detail oriented and puts a lot of effort into his work.....which sometimes frustrates the HELL out of me. It sometimes seems like it takes him three times longer to do things than it should.....but that's another story.

So, he's busy working on his workshop.....which has been taking months. In his defense, he doesn't get to work on it every weekend. Now, he's decided to move a pipe to make way for some paint booth. Good Lord.....I'm not so sure this is such a good idea.....and HE agrees! He's reminded me several times about the dripping pipe at his other house....thanks, HONEY, but I didn't need any reminding.

At this moment, he's waiting for the dishwasher to finish, so he can shut off the water to the house. Again, Good Lord......may the Force be with him. I hope his second attempt at soldering a pipe is a big success! And that the words, "oh no" don't get uttered during this project....

You Inspire Me

2007-02-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

Many times, when I'm talking about a new design, somebody will ask, "Where do you come up with these ideas???" Wow, there is no one answer for that. I get ideas from all over the place. Some make sense, and some are O-D-D. Many happen in the shower when I go into auto pilot and have nothing else to think about......

For example, I might get an idea from something I read or a TV show. Some character will say something funny, and it will trigger an idea. Or somebody I know will say something, and it will trigger an idea. Or I'll see a design used in another context. I am always trying to keep myself open to ideas, because you never know where the next one will come from and how you can use it.

Whenever I release a new design, I'm always excited to see it sell. And sometimes, I'll only sell one which is okay. But it's nice to see many sales -- especially when it's a design I really like or found particularly funny. I like to see other's with my odd sense of humor.

My daddy designs have been my big sellers, so I've been trying to think of some new options there. I'm really having to put my creative thinking cap on here.....so, I'll be curious to see if I've done well and if any of the new designs start to sell. The latest are about baseball. Sports and producing child seem to somehow relate.....He Shoots. He Scores.......Got One Past the Goalie.....Got One Through the Uprights....and now we have Hit a Homer and Homerun. I suppose I have all the major sports covered!

Obviously, Mommy Puts Out

2007-02-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where this design idea came from -- or what inspired me. But it's been a big seller for us this month! Obviously, Mommy Puts Out. How funny is that? I need to order one for my baby, so he can wear it to day care. I wonder how the ladies there will react!!

Been a crazy weekend. There's this tiny chance that I'm pregnant again [because this mommy obviously puts out!]. My husband will absolutely FREAK. We decided only one baby, and that's what we had -- Nicholas. I'm still not sure when I got pregnant with him, because we weren't even trying yet! Some swimmers must have gotten loose or something. All I know is that I was more shocked than anybody when the ept test showed a big, ole plus sign.

I took another ept test on Saturday. However, it was an older one -- from the "pair" of tests that I got when I checked to see if I was preggers with Nick Knack. I have no idea if it was still good, and I had to go online to make sure I was reading it correctly. Of course, DUH, how difficult is it to tell the difference between the + [positive] and -- [negative]?

Well, it was a definite -- [i.e. NO BABY on board], so I am guessing that I am not carrying a little bro or sis for Nick. Sometimes, I secretly want another baby, and sometimes I'm just fine and dandy with Mr. Nick. I'm be happy with whatever direction my life takes me....

Slave Labor

2007-02-25T12:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to visit my parents and brother and his wife. We had a great visit! I got to see the new house my brother and his wife bought. It's got so much potential -- and lots of fireplaces. They've got some nice land to work with, too. It's going to take some work to get the house the way they want, but I can't wait to see what they do with the place! Like I said, it's got lots of potential.

What I found amusing is that their new house has two strange things in common with their old house -- a pink bathtub and toilet in the master bath and a creepy bathroom in the basement! The house I live in now has some funny commonalities with my previous house, too. Is it possible that we gravitate towards these weird features? Like pink bathtubs or bathrooms without doors....?

So, my brother is so cute with Nick Knack. The joke is that you better get your "Nick time" before Scott shows up, because he'll take over from there. He was showing Nick around the house and kissing him. It was really sweet!

Then, he said the funniest thing -- that he would be over 70 when Nick could legally have his first drink!! WHOA! That really threw me.....that's about how old our dad is now......then, I had to do the math, and DAMN, I'll be almost 60!!! I suddenly feel really, really old.....

Anyway, I was talking to my dad about got baby! and how I've got the entire family working for me as slave labor! Sounds like he might be my latest victim.....I mean, "volunteer." I told him I need a good Marketing man to help me do some research on ways to advertise our sites, and I might be able to eventually pay him for helping out. Right now, I'm afraid his "pay" would be a visit to the Chinese buffet for lunch when I come to visit [although, Dad loves Chinese buffets, so I don't think he'd mind this deal].

Prior to retirement, my dad managed department stores. I think he's kinda bored. He tried to work at the local Whole Foods, but his knees couldn't take a full day on concrete. He does a lot of charitable work and was sending care packages to the troops for awhile. They were really busy over the holidays and raised something like $10,000 to send these boxes. I can't remember how many hundreds of boxes they sent out.

Lately, he's been busy with his college fraternity, but it sounds like he's got some free time. I don't want to take advantage of him, but if he's bored and looking for something to do.....plus, if the company meeting in Hawaii ever happens....well, we'll be sure to take him along!

Visit the 'Rents

2007-02-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my husband is in Seattle visiting his mom. Nick-Knack and I are home alone, so I decided that we would also make a visit to the 'rents. Mom is always asking when she'll see him, and they are only an hour and a half away. It's a trip I should really make more often....

Since Nicholas is hitting six months tomorrow and allowed to start riding forward facing [not to mention that he's almost too big for the carrier], I decided to make the switch to his "big boy" car seat. We were lucky enough to win a Britax car seat from a local store, so I attempted to install it this morning and replace the carrier we've been using.

The carrier we have is by Chicco and was part of a travel system. I have to say that I love it. It's served us well, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. In fact, I just happen to have one for sale.....ha, ha.

Anyway, after a few trials and errors, I did manage to install the Britax car seat using the latches. It was a serious pain in the butt to get the latches to "click" properly, but I finally got it all hooked in. Then, I packed up some diapers and formula, grabbed Nicholas, and we were off!

I'm not sure if he likes this new car seat. He kept looking around like he didn't know where the HELL he was. I also didn't get the usual smiles out of him. He just kept looking at me with this perplexed look on his face.

As usual, he fell asleep on the ride home, and his poor little head was slumped forward. It did not look comfortable. It did give me an idea for a possible new invention, though! I'm sure somebody has already thought of it, so it might save me the hassle of making a prototype.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Nick takes to this new car seat. It seems very comfortable, and I do like it. I hope he adapts and decides that being able to see out the windows and look at Mommy are pluses. And that change is good.

Happy Birthday, Curt!

2007-02-23T20:36:00.000-05:00

Today is my younger brother's birthday. He is 37....which makes me.....older. I'm actually not that much older. Mom was 40 when she had me, so she was running out of time to have anymore babies. My dad, her second husband, now had three girls with the addition of me, so they gave it one more try for the boy he always wanted. Voila! Curt was born sixteen months after me, and then Mom was D-O-N-E.

What is interesting is that if my mom had an easy pregnancy, then the kid has been easy. And the deliveries were also somewhat indicative of how the child turned out.

If that's the case, then Nicholas will be a SAINT! The pregnancy was pretty easy, as far as pregnancies go. I did have a bad month when he was pinching my Sciatic Nerve.....THAT was hell.

During this "phase", I went on a trip. Of course, my terminal was the very last one, so I had the farthest to walk to get to baggage claim. I took my time, but I was still sobbing by the time I reached baggage claim. My husband was circling the airport and ended up parking and coming inside to help me! It was bad.....

So, besides the pinched nerve, the pregnancy was pretty easy....in hindsight. I didn't feel that way when every bad pregnancy symptom hit at once! The delivery was really easy....again, as far as deliveries go! I had a brief period of time, pre-epidural, when I was suffering the worst pain of my life! But that didn't last too long, and I was in heaven after the epidural.

And so far, Nicholas has been a good baby....I mean GOOD. He was sleeping through the night by 11 weeks. He rarely cries -- even after FOUR shots at the doctor's! I really hope he doesn't turn out to be a demon child at some point, because so far, he's been a dream.

Happy Baby = Happy Mom

2007-02-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, when I picked my son up at day care, I was told by one of the women who works in the infant room that I have a very happy baby.

A very happy baby. Ah, music to my ears! I mean, I know I have a happy baby, but it's nice to hear that my kid isn't a screaming brat when I'm not around.....

She said she loves to take care of him, because he's so happy and that he was amusing her earlier in the day with his silly laugh.

He does have a silly laugh. It's just so funny to get him going, too! He's cracking up, and then you're cracking up. It's just one of those contagious laughs. Of course, I usually start crying, because he's so cute, and I love him so much, and I am suddenly overwhelmed by that love....but I digress.....

I'm not sure if we just got very, VERY lucky....or if we had something to do with this incredibly happy baby. I mean, I already know we got very, VERY lucky, but it's possible that it wasn't ALL luck....or that luck only played a part of it. Of course, I would LIKE to think he's so happy, because I read tons of baby books and tried to follow any advice that sounded good or made sense! I would like to think that I contributed to this baby's happiness.

For example, I read that you really shouldn't let the baby get too upset and start whaling. Now, maybe that can't always be helped, but I have done my best to make sure that Nicholas isn't throwing a fit before he gets one of his basic needs met. Whatever I read said that this makes for happier, more confident babies.

I think my husband felt like I was "spoiling" Nicholas by soothing him or attending to his needs so quickly. Again, I read something that said you can't really "spoil" the baby until they are 6+ months, because they don't really understand that crying = mommy's attention! Or that you'll come running as soon as they utter a peep.

It's possible that the above behavior on our part has contributed to our sweet, good natured baby. He is very happy, and he rarely cries. In fact, he will lay in his crib in the morning for a good 20-30 minutes, patiently waiting for one of us to come get him while he entertains himself. Lately, he seems to enjoy scraping his fingers against the material of the baby bumpers -- probably because of the "zipff-zipffff" noise it makes. At other times, he will look upward and sing and talk to his fish mobile. The funniest is when he practices his raspberry.

When we do go get him, he greets us with the biggest, brightest smile and proceeds to jabber away and coo. Maybe he's trying to tell us about the wonderful dreams he had the night before of endless formula and mommy kisses. And he will show us how good he's getting at doing a raspberry! He definitely is my little ray of sunshine every morning.

The only time he gets really upset is when he's hungry. Then, his entire little body will shake. He definitely knows when it's "bottle time" and is starting to try and grab or hold the bottle. However, if you take him into the kitchen and show him that you are, indeed, making a bottle, then he will patiently wait for it.....within reason, of course. He might yell out one time to "encourage" you to speed it up, but that's about it.

You know, I also think it's possible that the reason we have such a happy baby is that Nicholas knows he's loved. Maybe he doesn't know-know in any sort of concrete terms, but he knows, and I can't explain it. I see the love in his eyes, the pure happiness in his eyes when he looks at me, and I know he can tell that he's safe and loved, and we'll do our best to give him a good start in life and take care of him and all that mushy, wonderful stuff....

Damn, did I mention we are very, VERY lucky???

Sales, Glorious Sales!

2007-02-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

Today was a good CP [Cafepress] day. I sold a few new designs for the first time, and that always gives me a warm glow.....especially, if I really like the design! It makes me happy when somebody else likes it enough to buy it. I know, I'm a geek....

So, I started my widget article. I've got an idea for another article, too. Just don't have the time to write them all since they both require some research! The hubby went out of town until Monday and being alone with the bambino always takes it toll. I'm pretty convinced that I would have gone insane doing the single parent gig, so I have A LOT of respect for anyone taking care of a kid or two [or three or four] by themselves! You are my hero!

Got an interesting e-mail today. I may have the opportunity to be an "expert" and help people with various design, Marketing, PR, etc. issues. It sounds really interesting! I love helping people....and Lord, if I could get paid???? We'll see if it goes anywhere. Might cut into my blog time, but since I don't have a following of 400,000 yet.....I don't see this being a problem! I'd be thrilled with a following of 400....or even 40! I'm working on it.....

Nicholas hits the big six months on Sunday. Daddy won't be here, so we'll be celebrating alone. Unfortunately, Daddy's business trips have cut into many holidays, but we're hoping it will all pay off, and he'll be getting the promotion he deserves! Then, maybe he won't have to travel so much.

Luckily, I haven't been traveling much [if at all!], so we haven't run into conflicts with Nick. However, that could change.....and without family in town, we may have some major issues if we both have to go out of town at the same time....I suppose we will deal with that if/when it happens!

I have decided that "Lost" is just on too late, so I will have to DVR it and watch it on Thursdays. Those dumb asses at ABC! Seriously, what were you thinking??? 10:00?!?!?!? Half my department at work watches the stupid show, and we're all OLD! We need our sleep!!! Why would you do this to us???? Sigh.....

I am soooooooooooooooo......

2007-02-20T21:10:00.000-05:00

...........tired! It's been a long weekend. I was really busy with got baby! stuff. So, this is SHORT and sweet....good night, Gracie.....

Ooops! I'll Program Again....

2007-02-19T07:37:00.000-05:00

My college degree is in Marketing, although I haven't used it as much as I would have liked. However, I can and do think like a Marketing person. This has helped with trying to grow our little business, as I am always looking for new and different ways to market got baby!

Lately, I've been experimenting with widgets -- which are SO cool. Yesterday, I spent several hours trying to get my widget to have a gradient background using just CSS. It started, because I was checking site traffic and came across an unfamiliar URL. When I checked it out, I saw that somebody had installed one of my widgets to sell Cafepress stuff.

Well....it looked AWFUL.....which was MY fault, not the blog owner's. I didn't realize that most blogs only allow about 170 pixels on their sidebars, and my widget is for 220+ due to the background image. Ooops! I'll program again......I just hope that they keep the widget once I update it.....

I am thinking I need to create some more customization with my widgets. Currently, they only offer someone the ability to add their Cafepress PID and maybe change the size. My latest widget features gifts for the new dad and dad-to-be, and it gives you the ability to change the background fade colors, font sizes, link colors, etc. I think I'll take it one step farther and give users the ability to add some of their own URLs. This might increase the number of installs.

So, I reorganized my store yesterday and didn't think about the possible fall-out! I had to change all the links on got baby! Then, I had to deactivate my Google Base feed. My husband purchased some software yesterday that is supposed to import everything into Google Base, so he's taking over that task -- thank GOD! Creating those spreadsheets was a PAIN.

My widgets are all updated now. I just worry about anyone linking to old product pages....oh well, it's not like there were THAT many! Thankfully, I am doing this now when we don't have tons and tons of traffic.

Oh Lord, that just reminded me of several other places that need links updated....CRAP. I know what I'm doing for the rest of the day!

And We're Back!

2007-02-18T08:41:00.000-05:00

I'm back to daily posting, I think. Now that we have adapted to the Great Freeze of 2007. No more hiccups in power or Internet access, so that's good! I'm curious as to when the Great THAW of 2007 will begin and how much flooding we might have....

So last night, we went to a wedding reception. The lovely couple didn't invite us to the actual wedding, thank God. I have no issue attending a reception, but weddings can be so boring. I'm guessing they only invited family and close friends, and we are neither. This woman reported to my husband at one time, so that was our connection.

The reception was held in this German "club." I don't know how else to describe it. I have been there before with an ex-boyfriend who was into German festivals. We went for an Oktoberfest and some other event where the men shoot at this wooden eagle until it's all gone. It's called Schützenfest.

It was an okay reception. The food was so-so, but there was an open bar, so I can't complain too much! And I got to do the Electric Slide, one of my favorite guilty pleasures. At my own reception, I told the DJ that I only wanted one line dance, and it was the Electric Slide.

I digress. Anyway, the reception was nice. The couple is a little older, maybe in their late 40's....? I only say this, because the groom's grown son got up and gave a speech. Now, he might be in his late teens, but I'm guessing more like 21 or 22.

So, he gives this speech....oh, I forgot to mention that when he was introduced, he walked out wearing these big, 1980s, porn star sunglasses. What a tool. Then, he gives this stupid speech which went on and on and mentioned that his dad owed him a bass boat or something. And he made some stupid cracks that had me wondering if he liked his new step mom or not....? Andy, my husband, agreed with me -- take the microphone away from this idiot and tell him to sit down! I'm guessing alcohol might have been the creative fuel behind his speech.....

Thankfully, we didn't have anyone making stupid speeches or toasts at our reception. I was in tears during most of the speeches, especially when my dad spoke. He did bring up some odd memory, but that's okay. For the most part, we had a truly spectacular wedding and reception -- what I had always wanted and dreamt it would be, so I have zero complaints.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful....

2007-02-17T14:58:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a chance to type in my blog for a few days. We've had some crazy weather here with ice and snow and more ice and more snow. It got so bad that many people were without power including my two stepdaughters at their mom's house. Fortunately, the baby and I were nice and toasty warm. The power flicked off and then on twice, but it never actually went out.

We did lose our Internet and cable feed for almost two days, and that alone was sheer torture! I finally had to call my dad to check my e-mail! This was Wednesday night, and I was worried that I would miss Lost at 10:00. God FORBID....people were without power and freezing, and I was concerned about my weekly Lost fix. Tisk-tisk.

Because our Internet was out, I went ahead and took a sick day and worked on Cafepress designs all day. You could say I was a "Busy Little Bee" which is one of my new designs. My absolute favorite new design, though, is "Freshly Squeezed." It just cracks me up!

My lucky husband was in California on business during all of this, so he missed all the "fun." I told him about all the branches that had snapped. With the weight of the ice, many trees were hanging lower than usual. One rather large tree outside our bedroom and living room was now scraping against the roof in the wind. Sounded like a large animal running up and down the roof all night!

I will say that all the ice on the trees is quite gorgeous. In the right light, the trees look like they are made of glass or even diamonds. They sparkle and shimmer.

This morning, we awoke to more snow, though. So, the ice on the trees now has a layer of snow on them. I hope the added weight doesn't cause anymore limbs to break -- especially on the Magnolia and Japanese Dogwood. I would hate to lose those trees or even change the overall look of them. They are both quite spectacular when they bloom.

When I lived in Atlanta, we used to get ice storms like this. I remember everything being covered in ice and shimmering. In our backyard, we had several very tall pine trees -- the Southern kind that grow tall with very bare trunks and all the branches and needles up near the top. I did a Google search and came up with Longleaf Pine as a possibility.

Anyway, one of these very tall trees got so heavy with ice that it bowed over....and then froze to the roof of our house! Our RANCH, I should mention, so you get an idea of what this might have looked like....one of those tall trees with its thin trunk.....yeah, my parents were pretty freaked out over what might happen!

I believe my dad climbed onto the roof and cut small branches off until he could free the tree. Being in Georgia, it didn't take long for the temperatures to warm up, and as they did, the tree went upright. Luckily, it never snapped, and no other trees bowed or snapped.

A few months later, when the Winter was over, and the weather had warmed up.....my parents hired some men to cut that tree down! They made sure it never had a chance to freeze to our roof again.

No Internet....Just Cut Off My Right Arm!

2007-02-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

We got an ice storm, and THANK GOD, we didn't lose power. BUT we lost Internet access and cable. I shouldn't complain, I know, because this weather has caused some bad things. But it's been torture without Internet!! I finally had to call my dad tonight and ask him to check my e-mail! How pathetic is that???

Needless to say....I've been stressed and pulling my hair out. Now, I'm beat, so this is truly a short and sweet entry. I'll definitely have to write more tomorrow, but for now -- I'm outta here! Happy Heart Day!

A Cry in the Night

2007-02-12T21:17:00.000-05:00

Don't you wonder what goes on in those little bald heads of theirs.....? Especially when they are sleeping? I do. I watch Nicholas sleep, and I wonder if he's dreaming and about what. Does he dream about his bottle or his toys or me or his dad or the dog? What???

Sometimes, he'll be sound asleep, and he'll suddenly start laughing. It's the cutest thing. Little baby giggles in the middle of the night. Or he'll talk.....like the time he said "hello!" twice, very loudly and very clearly.

Tonight, though, he suddenly started to cry in his sleep. I mean, he let out a howl and started to gear himself up for a major crying jag. Then, about five seconds into it, he stopped and was silent. He's actually done this once or twice before.

The first time, I was flying up the stairs the moment I heard him start to wail. By the time I reached his room, all was well. Very odd, I thought. What was THAT all about....?

The second time, I waited a few seconds. This time, he kept crying, so I ran upstairs to comfort him. He was making such an awful noise -- I had never heard him cry like that. Something in his dream had obviously scared or upset him. But I rocked him and kissed his soft forehead and sang "Let it Snow" quietly.

See, I don't know all the words to too many songs, so that's why I sing Christmas carols many times. He seems to especially like "Let it Snow", and I have altered the lyrics, so it goes like this:

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

But my baby, he's so delightful.

And since we've no place to go.....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Anyway, I'm not sure what scared him tonight, but it was THANKFULLY over in five seconds.

Home Alone

2007-02-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

My husband left for a business trip this afternoon, so I am solo with the kidd-o. It's very tiring to be alone with the baby. No breaks. Mommy 24/7. Gives me an idea of what it would have been like to be a single parent.....if I had gone with Plan B.

I've only had three really serious relationships in my life. The first, Brian, was a disaster. We started dating when I was very young, and I had never been in love or anything. He was almost ten years older and really did a number on me. Drove me to obsession about my weight. Cheated on me. Lied to me. Ruined my ability to trust men for a long time. Uh, we broke up and got back together about one hundred times, and it really messed me up. Took YEARS to heal, and I ended up moving to another city to fully recover and start over.

Relationship #2 was Bill. Don't get me wrong -- I went on lots of dates and had a very active social life. I was always the good girl, though, and never slept around or anything like that. When I met Bill, I really thought he might be "the one", and things moved pretty quickly for us.

Unfortunately, Bill was recently divorced and although he swore he was "over it".....well, he wasn't! He had his own emotional damage to recover from and still hadn't. At the one year mark, things really went sour, and we called it quits. More emotional recovery....and the declaration that I was never going to find the right man!

It was at this time that I decided that I would just have a child on my own if I wasn't married by the time I was 35. I wanted a baby badly enough and refused to give up on that dream.

Thirty-five came a few years later, still no man worth marrying, but my fear of giving birth was overwhelming. Plus, I didn't feel "old enough" to be a mom. I decided to wait until I was 38 instead! Then, if I were still single, I would have a child on my own and do the single parent gig.

Thank GOD my Plan B was never needed. I met my husband, Andy, in July 2005, a few months prior to my 36th birthday in October. We were married on my 37th birthday, and Nicholas arrived the following August in 2006.

The hubby is gone for four days. These little "tastes" of being a single parent make me very thankful for my husband and stepchildren. "Free" moments to shop or get a massage or sleep in are precious as gold. I take full advantage of them even though I miss my little cutie pie every second we're apart.

Did the Baby Say Something.....?

2007-02-10T17:52:00.000-05:00

The progressive dinner in our neighborhood is tonight. We're supposed to be at the first house at 7:00. New babysitter shows up at 6:30. Since I still need to get dressed and ready, this entry will be another short one.

So, Nicholas is teetering on the edge of rolling over. He's SO close. At almost six months, I have wondered......"is this normal?" As a new parent, you ask yourself that a lot. Is this normal? Is this when he SHOULD be doing this? Or is he early [yeah, my kid rocks!]? Or is he late [uhhhh....is there something wrong with my kid?????]. It's a daily Q&A.

What is worse is when you go to social situations....like progressive dinners.....and you end up in a competition over whose kid did this first and so on. I'm sure there will be somebody at this dinner who has a kid who was rolling over at two weeks! There's always somebody who has an over achiever at home and likes to announce it to those of us with "normal" children.....

I have been told that I was talking by six months. The family joke is that I have never shut up since then! Yeah, ha, ha everybody..... Granted, I wasn't quoting Shakespeare or even making compound sentences. But I certainly knew who my "dada" was and greeted him as such. Very soon after that, I learned "papa" [for my grandfather, Papa John.....who is NOT the pizza guy] and "cott" for my older brother, Scott. I finally got around to learning "mama" after that. Seems I've been boy crazy since a very early age.....

I swear Nicholas spoke his first word around three months. However, it happened during his sleep, so I'm not sure if it counts! He was still sleeping in our room, and he was sound asleep and obviously dreaming. It was about 3:30 a.m.

Now, I am a very light sleeper to begin with and having a baby has made me a SUPER light sleeper. I'm not sure if I ever really GO to sleep -- because the slightest sound from the baby has me fully awake and ready to dart upstairs and make sure he's okay.

So, it's 3:30 a.m., and I'm in my semi-sleep state. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Nicholas proclaims, "Hello!" A few seconds later, it's followed by another, louder "HELLO!" Then, he giggles and is quiet, the only sound his breathing.....and my laughing!

See, I tend to greet Nicholas with "hello!" or "hi!" Usually, I say it several times and am rewarded with smiles and laughs....or at least some wide eyes. I suppose that my silly baby was having a dream about me greeting him with my usual hello, and he responded quite clearly with a sweet and very distinctive "hello" in response.

If you are a parent or doctor or supposed "baby expert", then I'm sure you are poo-pooing the fact that my 3-month-old newborn said anything at all. But I will go to my grave swearing that he said "hello" twice in his sleep at 3:30 a.m. sometime before Thanksgiving 2006. I know it was before Thanksgiving, because that was the sad day we moved him to his room.....and mommy had a minor meltdown......

What can he say when he's awake, you might be wondering......? Well.....I've heard "ma" and even "mom" in reference to me and maybe "okay" once or twice. He often will greet me with "hi", but I haven't heard another crystal clear "hello."

Doesn't matter when he REALLY starts talking.....just as long as he says "mama" BEFORE he learns "dada"......

This One is Going to Be Short and Sweet

2007-02-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

All day, I meant to take ten minutes and write in my blog....but I got busy with work. So, I kept forgetting to start an entry.....and here it is, 9:40 p.m., and I'm finally getting to it before I am off to bed.

Tonight, I did, however, get my Excel spreadsheet updated with my products for Froogle. I just keep running into issues with my bulk upload....oh, what fun! I should just splurge on the script that uploads your products from Cafepress...would make life easier.

I'm so brain dead today. It's just been one of those days where I'm tired and feeling oh-so-uncreative and blah and ick and.....if I could type the raspberry sound, it would go here.

Plus, I'm already dreading next week and dealing with the not so nice people......Calgon, take me away!

Tomorrow night, we are trying a new sitter for Nick, our baby. There's a progressive dinner in our neighborhood, and we are planning on attending. We are required to make a dessert, so I'm going to whip up some of my infamous Tiramisu. It's not really MY Tiramisu, and it's not really "infamous", but this stuff ROCKS nonetheless. If I think of it, I'll post the recipe tomorrow or Sunday, and you can decide for yourself.

Anyway, our babysitter is named Jennifer, and she's in high school. She sounded nice on the phone and comes highly recommended by our good friends and neighbors [who will also be at the dinner]. I really just don't trust anybody with Nick -- unless Taylor is here. If Taylor is here, then we're okay with somebody else watching Nick, because hubby and I know Taylor will take care of him. Otherwise, I get nervous......

This was going to be short and sweet, and I feel myself teetering on the edge of a major topic that will have to wait until another time....a time when I am not so tired!

Good night, sleep tight!

Visit to the Dentist

2007-02-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

I'm not real good about flossing. Just seems like such a pain in the butt. I know I should do it, but I have been blessed with good teeth and strong enamel....so, it hasn't always been necessary.

Well, unfortunately, the gums have been receding for years now. It's made my toothy grin even toothier! And exposed a little root here and there. Thus, I had to make an extra visit to the dentist to have some enamel added to an area. I really don't know how to explain what I had done, so bear with me.

Had NO idea they were going to numb my mouth. It's been sooooo many years since I had a numb face.....I forgot what it was like! I ended up spitting water in an arc when I tried to rinse. I was laughing so hard after it happened that I spit some more water.

It's been about four hours since the shot that numbed my face.....and whoa, it's wearing off. That area is definitely feeling a little sore......and weird.....SO unexpected!

While I could still talk without drooling on myself, we were discussing epidurals and childbirth. My dentist, who is a male, had to weigh in on the subject....which, OF COURSE, had the women rolling.

After my appointment, I chatted with one of the women who works there. Her husband, ironically, works for my company, and she just had a baby in December. And her son's middle name is Nicholas, so will the similarities never stop??? I hope I gave her some good advice. I realize that so many moms have gone before me, but I would like to think that I have one or two tidbits of gold to share....

1. I had a big baby -- 9 lbs. 6 oz. He was, is and will be a healthy eater. Breast milk didn't hold him, especially at night. So, I switched to formula. That worked better, but he still woke at 4:30 a.m. like clockwork for a "midnight" feeding.

Then, I discovered Enfamil Lipil A.R. It's meant for babies who spit up, so there's rice cereal added to it. Hmmmm.....rice cereal......maybe this "heavier" formula would stick with my kid longer, and he'd sleep longer....hmmmm......sleep deprived wheels are churning......

So, I tried it, and BINGO! The kid was sleeping about ten hours a night around 10-11 weeks. As he's gotten bigger/older, we've had to add a solid food feeding before bedtime, but the bambino is snoozing from 8:00 p.m.ish until 7:00 a.m.ish, and we are enjoying a full nights sleep.

2. Pack and Plays/Playpens/Play Yards.....whatever you want to call them. The one we got is from Chicco, and we love it. It's very versatile. Nicholas slept in the "bassinet" part of it until he moved to his crib in his room. But the base/bottom of it was SO hard....how was a baby supposed to sleep on this slab of concrete?

The solution? We bought one of those memory foam mattress toppers. We got one for a twin bed at Target for about $19 and cut it down to size. What a DIFFERENCE! Made his little bassinet so much more comfortable. You know, this little "fix" might have also contributed to Nicholas being such a good sleeper.

3. When you have a baby, you MUST buy some things.....a carrier, clothes, bottles, diapers....you know, the ABSOLUTE necessities. There's no debating these things.

Then there are the "nice to have" things or the "you don't really need these things, but it's your first kid, so what do you know?" items.....the ones that aren't REALLY necessary....or, you could buy cheaper, less fancy versions. Like, do you REALLY need one of those wipe warmers? Do the wipes actually get SO cold that you need to warm them up first? My kid just seems happy to have the poop wiped off his back -- he doesn't seem to mind the room temperature wipe.

Anywho, I would include "video baby monitor" on the "nice to have" list. I think a monitor is necessary, but a video one with a 2.5" screen [which is a wide screen in the world of video monitors] might not be a "must have."

However, I love, love, LOVE my video monitor and consider the $165 we spent on it to be WELL WORTH the price. I have such peace of mind knowing that, with the click of a button, I can see my baby. I hear a whimper and CLICK. I hear a cough and CLICK. I hear a fart and CLICK.....wait, was that my husband.....? I can make sure that the baby is okay without running up a flight of stairs.

Plus, it's so much fun to watch him flailing around in his crib while he sings to his fishy mobile. Lately, he's been rubbing his fingernails against the cloth crib bumpers. He seems to enjoy the sound it makes. And he's been practicing the "raspberry" sound I taught him. Watching him entertain himself is far more amusing than the best of the worst of "American Idol."

The monitor we got is by Summer. The 2.5" screen, 900 mHZ one. It doesn't interfere with our wireless Internet nor any of our 5.8 mHZ cordless phones. All coexist in peace and harmony.

You know.......I would probably lose more of this baby fat if I were running up that flight of stairs every time I heard a whimper, cough or fart......but I still recommend the monitor! I'll get plenty of exercise chasing after Nicholas in a few more months.....

Wild for Widgets!

2007-02-07T19:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I discovered widgets. I was reading an article in one of the many SEO/techie e-mail newsletters I get, and I clicked on the link to this widget Web site. Oh my GOD, they are SO cool. I really get excited by wickedly cool technology.....

My first widget was for my blog. It lists my recents posts. I added it to my got baby! Web site as a way to link to my blog. I was just going to do some boring [yawn!] graphical link, but this is SO much cooler.....

Anyway, it got me thinking......which can be a scary thing at times......but I put my Marketing guru hat on and thought, "Now, is there some way to use widgets to sell my stuff on Cafepress???" And the answer was YES!

I got busy creating a widget to link to my maternity items. In the middle of it, the site went down for some sort of maintenance, so that was a pain. But I finally got it all done.....and here is the REALLY cool thing about it....if you are a Cafepress Affiliate, then you can enter your PID into the widget. It will automatically be added to the link URL, and you will earn commission off the sales I make. How cool is THAT?

And if you aren't an affiliate, then sign up using the link above and start earning moolah by doing NOTHING. You can earn several dollars per sale, and all you need to do is add some code to your Web site. It's pretty easy money, if you ask me.....not that you did ask me, but I still had my Marketing guru hat on......

I can be SUCH a geek about this stuff......I feel like a kid on Christmas morning! I used to get this excited in my early days of Web designing......some little snippet of code would have me dancing in my cube.....

Okay, shameless self-promotion moment here before I toss the Marketing guru cap into the closet!

You can get my widgets here:

Widget to the got baby! Blog:

Widget to Sell Maternity Items:

Widget to Sell Baby Items:

We got a lot of snow yesterday.....something like 6-7". It was rather pretty, and I quite enjoyed it....especially since Nicholas and I were warm and cozy inside the house. My poor husband didn't fare so well. He missed his flight to Baltimore and ended up driving around for something like seven hours when it was all said and done! Thankfully, he got home safely.....

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it....You Get it....

2007-02-06T18:33:00.000-05:00

So, when they predict snow, they mean SNOW. The flakes started falling around noon and haven't let up in over 6.5 hours! I haven't seen this much snow in a looooooong time....and for once, I ain't complaining! To me, no snow is a good thing.

See, I'm not really a snow person. Or a cold weather person. It's pretty and all, but I hate driving in it. It freaks me out. So, if I can stay inside and not go anywhere, then I'm all for the white stuff.

I worked from home today, because I feared this crazy snow. Two years ago, we got a lot of snow, and my 30 minute drive home took almost three hours. No way was I going through that again. Plus, the hubby was supposed to fly out to Baltimore, so if anything happened to me, then there was no Plan B for picking up the bambino. No thank you, I'll stay close to home and work remotely. Ain't technology grand?

Speaking of the hubby -- it took him something like four hours to get to the airport in Dayton, and he missed his flight. He's currently on his way home in this mess. I suspect we'll see him sometime before Nicholas heads off for college....

This is actually our second noteworthy snow this Winter [although the first snow was a dusting compared to this one]. I introduced Nicholas to the cold, white, wet stuff last time it came down. We went outside, and I took his little, precious hand and placed it into some snow on a tree branch. I thought, for sure, he'd stick a handful of snow in his mouth.

Nope! He had no interest then, and I suspect he'll have no interest this time. I plan to try again....for fun. See if he's curious about the white stuff.

So, "Lost" is one of my favorite shows. I've been having withdrawal, but it is starting up again tomorrow. Can someone answer me this....what NUMB NUT at ABC thought it would be a good idea to move "Lost" from the 9:00 p.m. slot to the 10:00????? Thank God for DVR....but really, who made that bonehead decision and why do they still have a job.....?

Did I mention we got some snow......?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2007-02-05T07:10:00.000-05:00

Oh my GOD, it's cold! My car tells me how cold it is, and it said 1 this morning. ONE! ONE DEGREE. If this wasn't a "PG" blog, I'd probably throw in some colorful language between the "ONE" and "DEGREE." It felt like it, too. And yes, I'm aware that I live in OHIO, not HAWAII, and this sort of weather is to be expected in FEBRUARY. But STILL....that doesn't mean I'm not going to complain about it!

So, de Bears lost yesterday.....speaking of complaining! Oh well, I guess I should have expected it. And a Colts fan I dislike is celebrating, I'm sure. Blah, blah, blah, phooey. I'm in a mood. I'm sure it's due to the evil Phlegm Beast that kept me coughing last night and this BLASTED COLD WEATHER.

I packed lunches for the girls last night. I've never done that before. Pathetic, I know. Their mother packs lunches, but we usually just buy the school lunch for them. I should mention that I have two step daughters named Taylor [10] and Sarah [soon to be 6]. They are from my husband's previous marriage.

Anyway, I thought I would surprise the girls by packing a fun lunch. I made some fettuccine with a garlic and basil tomato sauce and organic, free range, hormone-free meatballs. Sounds good doesn't it? I should be in Marketing.....wait.....I AM in Marketing.

And, you know, that sentence makes it sound like there are free range meatballs out there, roaming the prairies or something! As usual, I digress with my odd sense of humor....

In addition to this fabulous pasta and meat mixture, I packed cinnamon applesauce, chocolate pudding, a bag of those fishy crackers [which I personally think are nasty!], a piece of buttered garlic bread and some candy. I made sure to include plastic spoons and forks and a cute little blue gingham napkin. I'm such a domestic Goddess.....when I try!

Hopefully, they enjoy their cold pasta. I made sure to include a lovely variety of food items....so, I am sure they won't starve! The girls are good eaters, and I know they often complain of being hungry during the day at school. Honestly, I think they were both the most excited about the candy I packed! Truth be known.....Twizzlers has a powerful hold on Taylor.....

I did forget the "I hope you have a wonderful day, and I love you to pieces" note, though. :( Next time! I'll remember it next time. After all, I am new to this lunch packing gig.

Lazy Sunday

2007-02-04T14:41:00.000-05:00

Today has been one of those lazy Sundays. You know the kind -- you hang out in your jammies or sweats and spend much of the day on the couch watching movies. Taylor, my ten-year-old SD, has had a stomach ache since yesterday, and Nicholas and I are both fighting the evil Phlegm Beast. So, a lazy day sounded like a good idea...

Anyway, we've seen "Aquamarine" on HBO, "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" and parts of three other movies. Right now, we're watching "Shallow Hal." Slim pickings on TV....later, I'm sure we'll catch bits of "Legally Blonde" and "Stepford Wives"....and OF COURSE, the Super Bowl.

Fortunately, I can manage to be "lazy" and appear to sit on my butt all day but still crank out a bunch of new designs! And that's what I did. I added several "New Mom" and "New Dad" designs. Some funny Valentine's Day items. I especially like the "Fill 'Er Up" and "Thrice As Nice" for triplets.

I confess uploading and adding these to my shop can be a pain. I hate the part where I have to tag the images with keywords....and be creative and unique. I mean, come on, how many people have used "new baby" with their image??? Oh well, a necessary evil! But, as I said, the theme for today is being lazy....

I'm proud of myself for writing in my blog three days in a row. Woo hoo! Good for me. I'm working on making it a habit.

Speaking of habits....my new thing is to go to Clubmom.com and post pictures of my kids and see how many votes I get! 15 is the most, but I do love the comments. I really need to return the favor....and vote on their kids.

I started this blog this morning, and I'm finally finishing it up. So now, we're watching the Super Bowl....."Shallow Hal" ended hours ago. I'm rooting for the French team, De Bears. [I'm probably the only one who thinks that was funny!] I hope they whoop some Colt butt.

GO BEARS!!!!! And GO FUNNY COMMERCIALS! I loved the Doritios one. And, of course, Bud Light. Those are always a hoot!

Baby Fingernails Can Do Evil

2007-02-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

During my pregnancy, I purchased a massage gift certificate at a discount. A local radio station was offering $50 gift certificates for only $25. Such a deal! So, I bought one with plans to use it once the baby arrived and pamper myself.

Anyway, I noticed it was about to expire on 2/9/07, so I booked my appointment for this weekend. Although I'm still fighting the evil phlegm beast, I thought I would go and make the best of it.

Well, the massage was GREAT! It was at this place called Cincy Massage, and I had Patricia. If you live in Cincinnati, check them out. I'll definitely be going back to see her! She did a regular massage and used some of the hot stones at the end, and that was a new treat for me. I felt so good after my massage!

Ran a few more errands afterwards -- heck, the girls had two friends over, so I thought I would spare myself the house full of kids and let the massage glow continue as long as possible. Plus, I was in dire need of black shoes anyway. I had worn my favorite two pairs to the point that they were squeaking!

After another two hours of running around, I got home. After unloading my buys, I went to greet my baby....ACK!!!!! WHY DID HE HAVE BIG, RED GASHES ON HIS POOR LITTLE HEAD??!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!???

Turns out, his little fingernails were in need of a serious trim, and he had scratched himself pretty badly right in the middle of his forehead. I swear, I cut his nails almost every other day, but those suckers grow FAST, and they can obviously cause great damage to such an adorable face.

I have learned my lesson. I will cut his nails daily, if I must, in order to prevent such injury to my poor, sweet baby. Thankfully, he's a trooper....the kid can take four shots in a row and barely cry. I guess a gouge to the forehead isn't going to stop him. Doesn't mean I don't feel like the worst mom right now......

Welcome to the got baby! Blog

2007-02-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

So, I'm finally starting my blog! Woo hoo! It's 10:10 p.m. on a Friday night, and I was laying in bed, thinking to myself, "I'm not tired....why am I just laying here? I should start my blog! And is it 'laying' or 'lying' in bed.....?"

Okay, so maybe it didn't go exactly like that....see, I'm suffering from the miserable phlegm beast once again. I made the mistake of taking a short nap with my infant son this afternoon, and now I'm paying the price! Of course, HE is upstairs snoozing away in his incredibly cute skull cap while I sit here typing at the computer.

I don't mind. It's nice having a moment to myself. Don't get me wrong -- I LOVE being a new mom and step mom and having my sweet, little family. But I was single, career girl for so long, and most Friday nights were just getting started at 10:10!

I digress. So, got baby! Yes, I've got baby! And a cute one at that! He was born in August 2006, and my life is forever changed. In a GOOD way, of course. I'm still trying to work off the baby fat....and who, by the way, said that breastfeeding would cause the pounds to FLY off?!?!?!??? RIGHT! Liar, liar, pants on fire!

So, a little about myself....I have a lengthy background in Graphic Design and Web Design/Development. I think I may have finally found a good use for some of my skills! Thankfully, a friend turned me onto Cafepress a little over a year ago, and I've been having fun with my shop and designs ever since then. I specialize in maternity and baby -- my own pregnancy being my obvious "inspiration."

Anyway, I think I secretly want to be a writer, too, so here is my outlet. They won't be making a major motion picture out of this anytime soon, but it's something to do at 10:10 p.m. while the rest of the house snoozes away.....

If you read this far, then you MUST check out my shops! ;) Here they are:

got baby! at Cafepress -- http://www.cafepress.com/c2gdesigns/
c2g Designs: Everything Else -- http://www.cafepress.com/c2gdesigns2/

Good night for now -- I plan to actually keep this up and write [almost!] daily. And if you keep reading and coming back, then you rock!

got baby! Maternity and Baby Talk

There's a New Love of My Life...

A New Adventure

Capture Cincinnati

Scott Kelby Rocks!

The Honeymoon Ain't Over

Free Sushi Tasting Party

Turkey Day

Leave Santa Alone!

Where Have You Been All My Life?

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

My New Baby

I've Had ENOUGH!

Happy Halloween!

Silly, FUNNY Halloween Card

Ultimate Toy Drive

Glitter Graphics

This Doesn't Make You Cheap....

The Bug War

Do I LOOK Like a Shoplifter....?

Homecoming

Happy Happy...

Her Eyes Just Sparkle!

Operation Buckeye, Part II

What's the Most Common Birthday?

Tossing His Tacos

The Devil Wears Pampers

Russian woman's 12th baby weighs in at 17.1 POUNDS?!?!??!?!?!!

Thanks, Honey....

Dad Labs, Inc.

When do You Find the Time.....?

Stop Hogging the Blog!

The Exceedingly Complex Role of the Stepmom

Operation Buckeye: Please Help!

Fun With Photoshop & Filters

The Verdict is in...

Tastefully Simple Party

National Stepfamily Day!

Blood Clots Look Like Grape Jelly

Heehee....

Remember

Rock You is FUN

Recalled toys: What you need to know

Girl Left Inside Car For Eight Hours Or More

Pasta With Smoked Salmon & Capers

September is Baby Safety Month

When Did Drivers Get so #$%&*@! Selfish and RUDE?

Join got baby! at cafemom

got-baby

I'm Walking. Yes, Indeed.....

Almost One Year!

How Cool is This? Fun With Rock You

The Woes of Daycare

Toys for Tots

Girls Really DO Prefer Pink

How to raise a fun and funny child

New Home for Ginger..? Or a Big Scam...

Baby's First Shoes

Christmas Came Early.....

Hello World!

DNA is Like a Box of Chocolates

Whole Foods ROCKS

New Tooth!

What is Wrong With the Dog?!?!?!??!???

2 Busy 2 Blog

Internet Scams.....Beware!

Bouncing Baby Boy

Formula Breath

Psycho Bird

Silly Baby

Free iPod -- it's TRUE!

Goodbye Working from Home.....

Fun With Video

Lord, I Miss Hawaii

Happy St. Patty's....I Guess

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Irregular

Handy Andy

You Inspire Me

Obviously, Mommy Puts Out